Promises
by Tsukino Akume
Summary: Antonio made many promises to Jayden over the years. He never broken any of them. Bright Skies 'verse.
1. A Promise for Someday

**Pairings/:** pre-Antonio/Jayden  
**Disclaimer/:** If I owned them, it would not be subtext.  
**Warnings/:** UberFluff? Nothing, really. Some eventual angst.  
**Author's Notes/:** Obviously this happens before Ji Is An Asshole, because Jayden had no doubts about Antonio joining the team until Ji talked him out of it.

I am trying ***extremely*** hard not to steal anything from Guardian of Hope, because her version of Samurai is already trying to merge with my headcanon, because it makes SO MUCH sense. So while there may be occasional similarities, they're not intentional. (Go read her stories! They're fantastic! )

_mi amigo _ - my friend

_asombroso _- amazing

* * *

After twenty minutes of watching Jayden and Antonio, the others had discreetly made themselves scarce. The sparring continued without them for nearly an hour. Jayden was insistent that he needed to test Antonio's new skills to be sure that he'd be able to hold his own in battle. Antonio on the other hand, just wanted to play, which was obvious by the grin on his face.

While he'd never admit it aloud, part of Jayden just wanted to play too.

Eventually Jayden leaned against a tree to catch his breath as they finally broke apart. Antonio had certainly improved from their days of banging a bokken against a training dummy, that was for sure.

"Heads up."

He caught the water bottle that was tossed to him absently, taking a slow drink as Antonio came to flop on the ground beside him. A hand reached up to tug at his, and he sat down obediently. He felt Antonio's head drop to rest against his shoulder, and a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "It's almost like you never left," he murmured.

Antonio made a noise of agreement, shifting a little to take a drink of his own.

Back to back now, Jayden leaned into him a little more, enjoying the feeling of warmth pressed against his spine. "I missed your stories," he admitted.

He could hear the grin in Antonio's voice. "I've got plenty more to share, _mi amigo_. I've seen things you'll never believe!"

He chuckled. "You always say that."

"You doubt me?" Antonio gasped in mock-offense.

"No." Because he didn't. He'd never doubt Antonio. "I'm sure you've seen a lot more than I have."

Darn. That was bitter. He hadn't meant to say it, but something about being around Antonio tended to loosen control of his tongue.

A hand dropped down to squeeze his. "For now. After all this Nighlock business is taken care of, you and I are going on a nice, long trip. And I'll show you ***everything***."

He smiled wistfully, wishing they really could. "I'm looking forward to it."

They fell silent for awhile, enjoying one another's company.

"How's your dad?" he asked eventually.

There was an akward pause.

"He died. Just after we moved."

He cringed, trying to turn to look at him, but Antonio kept hold of his hand, preventing him. "I'm sorry - "

"It's fine." He caught a dismissive hand gesture out of the corner of his eye. "It was a long time ago. And my new parents are _asombroso_."

"New parents?"

"Mm. I got adopted a few months after it happened." A pause. "I should call them. I promised to let them know I made it safely."

He frowned a little. "What did you tell them when you left?"

"That I had something I needed to do. They understood."

"Just like that?" he asked skeptically.

Antonio chuckled softly. "When you meet Papa, you'll understand."

He sighed, because it was doubtful that he would. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"You should be with them. And now that you're here ... "

Now Antonio was the one sitting up to turn around, and he reluctantly let go of his hand to let him. He was rewarded with a frown. "Jay, I came here because I wanted to. I promised, remember?"

He shook his head, even if the memory of the solemn pinky promise they'd made almost made him smile. "But your family - "

"Understands. Better than you'd think."

"Still - "

"Trust me, Jayden." Antonio's eyes bore into his, solemn and intent. "I'm exactly where I need to be."

His felt himself flush a little and glanced away, embarassed. He opened his mouth -

And a hand squeezed his again. "I'm sure," Antonio assured him.

He smiled ruefully. "How do you do that?"

There was a pause, and he glanced back to find Antonio looking troubled. " ... Antonio?"

Antonio shook his head. "I ... I want to tell you, but you won't believe me," he admitted. "Not at first."

He frowned. "Why wouldn't I believe you?"

That earned him a chuckle and a wry smile. "It is pretty unbelievable."

"Antonio, ***everything*** about you is unbelievable."

"Hey!" Antonio cried in outrage. He leapt forward, tackling him to the ground, and they rolled around in the grass for a few minutes.

Eventually Jayden found himself pinned on his back with Antonio flopped across his stomach, refusing to move. It wasn't uncomfortable, so he looked up at the slowly darkening sky. "Will you tell me someday?"

"Someday I'll tell you everything, Jay. I promise."

Antonio had never broken a promise to him.

"I missed you," he whispered at the sky.

The hand found his again, intertwining their fingers in silent understanding.

"Missed you, too," Antonio murmured.


	2. A Promise for Family

**Author's Notes/:** The more of Samurai I see, the more the relationship between Jayden and Antonio makes me melt. This is (hopefully) a small glimpse of some of the things I've noticed about them, plus fun with Team Fluff!

On a side note, while I suspect Mia is too young to be a teacher, I could see her working as a volunteer or even just a yard monitor, seeing as she was clearly working with school children in Origins.

* * *

Life with Antonio on the team was nothing if not unpredictable. He came and went from Shiba House as he desired (a fact which drove Ji crazy), showed up for training randomly, and rarely stayed long unless he spontaneously decided to cook for them. He seemed to prefer spending most of his time fishing. But he came to fight when they needed him, and as far as Jayden was concerned that was all that really mattered.

Which is why he was only mildly surprised when after training ended for the day instead of leaving for the water with a cheerful wave or heading back to the kitchen, Antonio grabbed a pile of brightly colored paper out of his cooler and went to the living room.

"Hey, Jay? Do we have any glue?"

He watched from the doorway as Antonio spread what turned out to be construction paper in a circle around him, raising his eyebrows. "Yeah, sure."

"Scissors?"

"Of course."

"What about glitter? Or any ribbons?"

" ... I can ask the girls. What are you making?"

Antonio looked up, flashing him a bright grin. "Mother's Day cards. You should help! They'd love that."

"Who'd love what?" Emily asked curiously from behind him as Jayden blinked at Antonio in confusion.

"Help me make Mother's Day cards," Antonio explained. He brightened even more. "You should all help! Oh, and do you have any glitter? Ribbons?"

Emily lit up immediately. "I've got glitter and paints!" she said eagerly. "I'll go get them!"

There was confused mumbling in the hall as she sprinted off toward her room, and he could hear Mike clearly saying something about "***Cards?***" and Kevin saying "Glitter?" in the sort of tone he used when he didn't really approve. But Mia's voice soothed them with something he couldn't catch, and he suspected they'd all be joining Antonio's project soon enough.

"Come. Sit," Antonio informed him with a smile, patting the floor beside him.

And because it was Antonio, he found himself going to join him even as he frowned. "Why do you need my help to make a Mother's Day card?"

Antonio gave him a look. "I don't. But I want you to help me. Besides, they're your family now, too."

He started a little. "What?"

The strange look persisted for a moment before Antonio finally gave him another smile. "Well, if they're my family, that makes them your family, too," he said matter-of-factly.

"But I don't know any of them," he protested weakly.

Antonio rolled his eyes and pushed some paper at him. "So? Who cares?"

He would have tried to argue the point, but then Emily was rushing back to them with an arm full of glitter and paints and pens in more colors than should ever be found in nature. Mia carried scissors and glue and what was probably scraps of fabric, chatting aimably at Mike, who looked exasperated, but mostly willing. Kevin's expression said he was clearly there against his will, and no one had cared to listen to him.

"This is so much fun!" Emily gushed as she spilled her assortment of supplies across the floor and plopped down on Antonio's other side. "I haven't made cards by hand in forever!"

"Why don't you just buy a card at the store?" Kevin complained grumpily. "It looks nice and it has all the same sentiments."

"That's not true," Mia protested. "Handmade cards take more time to make, and show that you really care about the person you made it for." She smiled wistfully as she joined them on the floor. "My students loved to make me cards for holidays. I still have them all, too."

"And I'm not buying twelve cards from the store," Antonio put in, giving Emily a smile as he snagged one of her brightly colored pens. "That's just silly."

"***Twelve*** cards?" Mike choked. "What, were you raised in a commune or something?"

"Mike!" Kevin hissed, elbowing him hard.

"Kinda," Antonio answered mildly, looking unconcerned as he wrote something on one of his pieces of paper. "Not technically, but I guess you could call it that."

Mia gave him a soft, concerned look. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I met Papa after my father died, and he adopted me a while after that." Mia cringed, but Antonio didn't seem to notice. "We lived with my Uncle Jason for a while, because they've known each other forever and they were saving up to open a dojo together. And then Dad came over one day and met me, and he decided to move in with us, too. And after that, everyone started to find out and kept coming over to meet me, and then they just started being over over all the time."

Kevin frowned. "Why?"

Antonio glanced up from over his paper, blinking at him. "Because we're family."

"So why twelve?" Emily piped up, already taking pieces of paper and comparing them against each other for something. "Who are they all for?"

"Mom, Aunt Kat, Aunt Tanya, Aunt Kimberly, Aunt Ashley, Aunt Cassie, Aunt Karone, Aunt Dana, Aunt Kelsey, Aunt Taylor," Antonio counted off on his fingers. "And then Aunt Trini and my mother."

Mike blinked at him, a bit wide-eyed. "That's a ... lot of people."

"That's nothing," Antonio dismissed, waving a hand and reaching to take a pair of scissors from Mia. "Wait until Father's Day comes around. Then I've got fifteen cards to make."

Mike shuddered, shaking his head. "Kinda makes me glad I've only gotta worry about one per holiday," he muttered.

"I think it's sweet," Emily insisted. "Antonio's got a big family, and he takes the time to let each of them know how much he loves them."

Antonio beamed at her. "_Exactamente_!"

Then he turned to Jayden, giving him an expectant grin. "So how's your cutting skill?"

Jayden gave him a mild glare, taking the scissors from Antonio's hand. "Is that a trick question?"

They worked in companionable silence for a while, even Kevin and Mike finally joining in. There were comments here and there, and a brief moment of teasing from Antonio when he realized Jayden was only using one blade of the scissors to cut out the shapes Antonio had asked for. Emily ended up with glitter on her hands, which she promptly smeared across Antonio's cheeks. Mike laughed, and the next thing Jayden knew Antonio and Emily were attacking everyone with the glitter.

He thought he saw Ji look in on them at one point, shake his head, and walk on.

Somehow in all the chaos there were eventually twelve cards piled beside Antonio, as well as two beside Emily - one for her sister, she insisted, and no one asked - and one each for Mia, Mike, and Kevin. Kevin frowned at his every once in a while, and Jayden wasn't entirely sure he'd be giving it after all. Mia seemed wistful about hers, but her smile as they cleaned up was genuine. Mike was still griping about the glitter smeared around his face.

Antonio poked him in the side.

He blinked, and found himself being offered a red pen.

"You have to sign them, too," Antonio informed him. "They're our family now, remember?"

He swallowed. "Antonio - "

Antonio shook his head, giving him a reassuring smile. "They'll love it. I promise."

But he noticed that while Antonio had him sign all of the cards they'd made, there were two he kept set aside, even while he demanded that the rest of the team sign the other ten. "Because you have to," he insisted. "It doesn't matter if you know them or not. They know you're my friends, and they'll want to hear from you. Besides, we made all the cards together, so we should sign them together."

Emily was instantly in love with the idea, and pushed them all to sign Serena's card as well. Mike reluctantly went along with it, and begrudgingly offered his own card for everyone. Mia asked them to sign hers after a moment with a sweet smile.

Kevin didn't, and no one mentioned it.

Sometime after everyone had finally finished cleaning up and Emily went off to hunt for envelopes, Antonio caught his arm. Jayden glanced at him, raising his eyebrows in question.

Antonio looked oddly nervous. "Will you camp out with me at the beach tonight?" he asked quietly, too low for anyone else to hear.

He blinked. "Sure."

The smile he got in return was both grateful and relieved, and he wondered why.

* * *

Sitting beside the water later that night, watching the cards for Antonio's mother and Aunt Trini quietly burn away in the fire as Antonio told him stories of a kind, gentle woman who gave the best hugs and tried not to cry, he decided it was better that he'd waited to find out after all.


	3. A Promise for Loyalty

**Author's Notes/:** Bleh, this is short. Written first because checking the Timeline of Doom tells me that this is about the right time this would have happened, and second, because Antonio was somewhat distracted during the Zord battle in The Tengen Gate. ("Whoa. Is this a Mooger family reunion?" "Antonio, ***focus***." "I am! I'm gonna go for the high score!") This is my explanation of why.

* * *

He wasn't entirely sure why he suddenly had a desire to see Antonio. The Nighloks had been quiet for the past several days following the attack on Emily and the revival of the ClawZord. The team continued working on their training, helping Emily rebuild her strength and working on their own. Antonio hadn't shown up today, but that wasn't unusual; he tended to come and go as he chose.

But for some reason, Jayden still found himself wandering the docks, searching for a familiar head of dark hair.

The longer he searched, the more concerned he became. Antonio usually stayed near the water, because he said it made him feel closer to his father's memory. But Jayden couldn't seem to find him anywhere; not even in some of his more reclusive fishing spots. And the feeling that he ***needed*** to find him only grew the longer it took to search him out.

In the end, it was pure chance that he heard it: the sound of someone fighting. Instinct had him reaching for his Samurizer as he ran toward it, adrenaline surging. If it was a Nighlok, they were in for an unpleasant surprise.

But what he found wasn't a Nighlok.

Instead he found Antonio, twisting and striking at the air with a vengeance. There was a dark look on his face, and he spun around to slash at his invisible opponent for several moments. Abruptly he turned with an angry yell, punching a tree repeatedly.

Jayden stepped forward, slipping his Samurizer back into his pocket. He said nothing as Antonio turned to look at him first with another look of dark fury, then with almost desperate relief. He only raised his fists in anticipation.

Antonio lunged, and he responded with a harsh spin kick.

It was hard to say how long they sparred for. Jayden kept his eyes on Antonio, watching as the darkness in his face slowly faded. His frustration didn't though, and that worried Jayden more than anything.

The fight kept going until Antonio swung at him hard, missed, and abruptly dropped to his knees. He stayed there for several minutes, shaking, and buried his face in his hands.

Jayden sank down beside him slowly, resting a hand on his back.

"There was an accident," Antonio mumbled at last, face still into his hands. "At my parents' work."

"How bad is it?"

Antonio shook his head. "Don't know. Papa and Mom are still unconscious. Aunt Kimberly, too - she was part of it." He choked out a sob, and Jayden shifted, allowing Antonio to lean into him more. "Dad said they're still trying to figure out what happened."

Jayden rubbed Antonio's shoulder in support. "You should go to them," he said at last. It was harder to say than he'd expected.

"No." The answer surprised him, but Antonio's voice was firm. "There's nothing I can do for them now. And you need me here."

"Antonio - "

"I promised to fight with you, and I will." Antonio sat up, rubbing at his eyes and blinking rapidly for a moment. "I keep my promises, Jay."

He frowned. "But your family - "

Antonio shook his head. "Dad was the first to tell me I can't do anything there. He said Papa would want me to stay here. I just - " His expression broke for a moment, and he squeezed his eyes shut in a clear attempt to ward off tears.

Jayden swallowed hard. "You should be with them."

"And do what?" Antonio sighed, looking pained, but resigned. "I'm not a doctor. I don't know anything about the project they were working on, and I don't even know if my symbol powers would work on them or if it would just make things worse. All I'd be able to do is ... sit there."

He winced a little in sympathy. The last thing Antonio needed to do was sit. "I'm sorry," he muttered finally, feeling guilty.

Antonio shook his head again before dropping it to rest on Jayden's shoulder. "Nothing you can do. And thanks," he added belatedly. "For coming to find me."

He shrugged his free shoulder. He still wasn't sure why he had, but he was glad that he did. "Sorry I can't do more."

"You're here. That helps. It helps a lot."

It didn't feel like nearly enough, though; not after everything Antonio had done - and was still doing - for him. But there was nothing else he ***could*** think of, so he stayed where he was, eventually letting his head lean against Antonio's. A hand fumbled for his, and he took it with a gentle squeeze.

"I'll be distracted," Antonio muttered eventually.

"It's fine."

"The others won't like it. Especially Mentor and Kevin."

"I'll handle the others."

"I don't want them to know."

"Then I won't tell them."

There was a soft sigh under his ear. "Thanks."

He squeezed the hand, wishing again that he could do more. But for now, this would have to be enough.


	4. A Promise to Return

**Author's Notes/:** While the Christmas Clip Show didn't ***entirely*** suck, it was still pretty bad. But it conveniently works with the plotbunny I wanted it to work around, so I DON'T CARE! -Beams- This is my version of Christmas morning, because while Mike being all sad that no one got him anything was kinda cute, all the comments about Santa and then him randomly giving away his several hundred dollar motocross bike that 'Santa' - who was clearly Ji - just bought him was stupid. (And if Skull is able to afford a limo, why didn't he send his son any presents?)

And because I promised I'd be working Samurai into Bright Skies. ^_~

Mike comes across kind of bratty here, which wasn't intentional. Oops? .O

_Hola, mi amigos!_ - Hello my friends!

_Es un niño!_ - It's a boy!

* * *

Sleep eluded him

He knew why: he hadn't slept easy since Antonio had rushed out the door four days ago, barely taking a breath to say something about a family emergency before he was gone. Everyone had sort of blinked after him for a moment before Mike had scowled and demanded to know why ***Antonio*** was still able to see his family, Kevin had argued that Antonio wasn't a true Samurai and not bound to his duty like the rest of them, Emily had protested on Antonio's behalf, and Mia had tried to play peacemaker. Meanwhile he'd continued to stare after Antonio, wondering.

There had been a brief phone call a day later; just long enough to assure them that everything was fine, and he'd be back in a few days. He'd hung up before anyone could say much of anything in response. He sounded happy though. Ridiculously happy even, which for Antonio was definitely saying something.

He couldn't help wondering what had happened to create such a complete turnaround in Antonio's mood. He'd always been mercurial, but he'd sounded almost ... scared, as he was rushing out the door. The fact that he still didn't know why or what changed bothered him more than it should have.

He was at home now, too. Or with family, at least. A family he clearly adored, judging by the way his eyes always lit up the few times he'd spoken about them. Maybe ... maybe he wouldn't -

His cell phone beeped.

Blinking, he reached to grab it off the side table and stared at the message displayed.

_stop brooding & go 2 sleep._

The corner of his mouth turned up a little. He shouldn't, but he found himself replying anyway.

_How'd you know i'm up?_

The response was almost instant.

_i can hear u thinking from here. stop keeping me awake & go 2 sleep._

He frowned, but the phone beeped again before he could ask what ***that*** was supposed to mean.

_i'll see u 2morrow. promise. go 2 sleep._

A slow smile spread across his face.

_Goodnight antonio._

_night. GO 2 SLEEP._

He laughed softly, putting the phone back on the table and snuggling back into his bed with a smile. "Good night," he murmured.

Another beep.

_SLEEP_.

* * *

They'd just finished cleaning up from unwrapping presents when the door banged open. "_Hola, mi amigos_!" Antonio called joyously. "Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy Kwanzaa to all!"

"Antonio!" Emily greeted gleefully, jumping up to give him a hug.

"Where have you been, man?" Mike complained as he waited his turn to exchange a fist bump. "You missed all the presents!"

"Mike! Don't be rude," Mia scolded gently as she pulled away from giving Antonio a hug of her own. "Don't worry, we made sure to save yours," she promised him.

"Where were you, anyway?" Kevin asked with a frown as he hovered behind them all.

Antonio shrugged off his snow-covered jacket and scarf, hanging them by the door to dry. "Oh, my mom went into labor a few days ago," he said dismissively. "It was kind of touch and go for a while, so I went to sit with everyone while we waited for news."

"***What***?" Emily gasped.

Mike cringed slightly. "Is she okay?"

"She's fine. They got her to a hospital right after the plane landed - "

"Plane?" Kevin repeated blankly.

"And the baby?" Mia pressed, looking anxious.

At that Antonio turned, giving them all the brightest, beaming smile Jayden had ever seen him give. "_Es un niño!_ I'm a big brother!"

He pulled out his cell phone, fiddling with it for a few moments before thrusting it out proudly to display a picture of something tiny and red. "Isn't he adorable?"

Jayden waited behind them all as everyone admired (Mia and Emily) or made faces (Mike) at Antonio's phone. Antonio was practically gushing over his new baby brother. The story came out in disjointed bits and pieces - something about a transcontinental flight, someone's boyfriend, hot chocolate, and an ambulance - but Antonio's joy made it clear that whatever happened had ended well.

And again, he found himself wondering, just a little. Maybe it would be better if Antonio went back to his family. He wasn't obligated to stay, and they must miss him. And with a new baby around -

"***Ow***!"

He glared at a completely unrepentant Antonio, rubbing the back of his head. "What was that for?"

"A reminder," Antonio retorted. "I already told you: I'm exactly where I need to be."

"I didn't say anything," he protested.

Antonio rolled his eyes. "You didn't have to."

He humphed. Then Mike and Emily were dragging Antonio over to his presents and Mia was saying something about breakfast while Kevin tried to insist no one was hungry yet. Alone with his thoughts again, he shook his head, bewildered.

How did he ***do*** that?


	5. A Promise for Devotion

**Author's Notes/:** I asked for Antonio/Jayden fluff prompts, and rosabelle suggested making brownies. Then while browsing for recipes, I discovered the variation Antonio uses here. I thought it would be appropriate for him.

See notes at the end of the chapter to explain the Japanese Antonio uses; I don't want to ruin it. ^.~

* * *

The smell of chocolate permeating Shiba House was hard to miss. So was the fact that no one could get into the kitchen; Mike had nearly dislocated his shoulder when he'd made the mistake of trying to force his way in. The girls had scolded him appropriately, while Kevin glared suspiciously at the door.

Jayden decided to cheat.

There was a single window in the kitchen, small, but just large enough for someone to slip through if they were determined enough. For a moment he'd thought he was finally too big to fit, but after some careful wriggling and sliding through one arm at a time, the rest of him followed easily. He tucked and rolled, coming up in a crouch.

Antonio leaned against the stove, watching him with an entirely too amused expression. "I can't believe you can still fit through there."

"Neither can I," he admitted sheepishly. The last time he'd snuck through the kitchen window was years ago, when he and Antonio had gone off to play together after he'd been told he wasn't allowed. He hadn't even thought to try it again after Antonio moved away.

He stood, trying to casually smooth down his clothes. "What are you making?"

"Brownies." Antonio was still smirking at him. "They were supposed to be a surprise, _mi amigo_."

He shrugged and leaned against the refrigerator, feeling a little silly. "They smelled good, and I was curious. Why are you making brownies?"

Antonio gave him a funny look; the kind he always gave when he thought Jayden should know the answer to something, and couldn't believe he didn't. "It's February."

Jayden blinked. "Okay."

"It's the middle of February."

" ... Okay?"

Antonio stared at him for another minute and finally sighed, shaking his head and turning back to the stove. "It's Valentine's Day tomorrow, you dork."

He frowned briefly at the insult. "So you're making brownies for Valentine's Day?"

"Mm-hmm. Thought about making chocolate, but we didn't have all the ingredients, and there was a box of brownie mix in the cupboard."

"Yeah. Ji's been really ... careful about what he keeps in the kitchen these days."

They exchanged a meaningful look.

He watched Antonio work for several minutes, taking in the pan of cooling brownies and the cookie cutter resting beside them. "You're cutting them into hearts?" He raised an eyebrow, bemused at the idea.

Antonio glanced at him, giving him another funny look. "Valentine's Day," he repeated pointedly. "Hearts are part of the theme."

"But isn't that just wasting the parts you cut out?"

"Only if you don't want me to share."

"Share - oh."

Antonio shook his head in that fond way he did when he thought Jayden was being silly. He tested the brownies briefly before nodding to himself and carefully cutting them into sections and removing them from the pan. He spent several moments testing which angle to put the cookie cutter at before finally making a cut and moving on to make the next heart.

Jayden watched him, fascinated by the utter seriousness in Antonio's movements. He was strangely intent on the whole process, like making brownie hearts was an important mission. But then, Antonio was always very serious about the things that mattered to him - despite what Ji and the others might think.

Which made him wonder why these brownie hearts were so important.

"Who are you making them for?"

"The team," Antonio returned, eyeing him again like he thought that should have been obvious.

"There are already six hearts," he pointed out.

"Well, one's for Ji, and then the others are going to my family."

He tilted his head to see, counting silently as each extra heart was added to a separate pile. "Four?"

"Mm. One for Papa, one for Dad, one for Mom, and one for Zack." He paused to contemplate the pile for a moment. "I'd make enough for everyone, but we only had the one box."

He blinked, wondering who Zack was. "I didn't know you had such a big family."

"You never asked."

He shook his head, smiling somewhat sadly as he hopped up to sit on the counter. "I guess there's a lot of things I don't know about you anymore."

Antonio's eyes flickered toward him. "Not as much as you'd think."

The thought was oddly comforting.

He watched as Antonio added a generous layer of frosting to his brownie hearts. It wasn't until he reached for the can of icing that he finally figured out what he was doing. He smiled again, amused. "Wouldn't it be easier just to buy some?"

"Not the same thing," Antonio argued. "They're awesome, but they're not chocolate. And very few things beat chocolate."

"Such as?" he wondered, reaching over to snag one of the brownie cuttings.

Antonio encouraged him by feeding him another. "Chocolate when you add it to other things. Like chocolate-covered fruit. Chocolate-covered nuts. Frosted chocolate cake."

Jayden nodded, still amused. "And frosted brownies?"

"Exactly!" Antonio looked gleeful. "I thought about making them Color-flavored, but we didn't have enough supplies," he added as he turned back to his brownie hearts, looking genuinely disappointed.

"Color-flavored?"

Antonio nodded absently, tracing designs on one of the hearts with a look of intense focus. "Strawberry, lemon, mint, blueberry, and cherry."

He raised an eyebrow, leaning over to accept another offer of brownie cutting when Antonio offered it. "So what flavor is Gold?"

Antonio paused, looking thoughtful as he studied his hearts again. "Maybe toffee? Or caramel?"

"Caramel," Jayden decided, dismissing toffee immediately.

Antonio cocked an eyebrow at him in question, and he shrugged. "I like caramel."

There was a long moment of Antonio blinking at him before he flashed a sudden brilliant smile. "Caramel it is."

Jayden smiled back.

Eventually he slipped off the counter, walking over to study the designs Antonio had been making. He stole another brownie cutting, pausing to study the kanji decorating the one Antonio had just finished. The sight of symbols probably should have surprised him, as it wasn't really Antonio's style, but he was more confused by the one in front of him, which had a different set of characters than the rest.

"Antonio ... ?"

There was a noise of acknowledgement.

"This brownie ... "

Antonio glanced at him, then the heart. "Oh, that one. That's yours."

He swallowed, still staring at the symbols which spelled out '_aishiteru_'; the others all read '_daisuki'. _"Oh."

Antonio finished icing his last brownie with a flourish before turning to look at him with another bright, cheerful smile. "So? How's it taste?"

He blinked for a moment, at last looking down at the very carefully written kanji. He broke off a piece before he could second-guess himself and ate it swiftly, offering Antonio a smile and hoping his face wasn't red. "Delicious."

Something in Antonio's smile softened, in a way that made his stomach feel funny. "I'll be sure to make you another one next year then. I promise."

The funny feeling intensified, and he managed a smile back. "I look forward to it."

* * *

Japanese Translations:

_daisuki_: I like you/I'm fond of you (Can be used in a romantic or generally affectionate sense)

_aishiteru_: I love you (For lovers)


	6. A Promise for Impossible

**Author's Notes/: **This is my solution to the first episode of Super Samurai. I really just wrote it so I could have Jayden fuss over Antonio and then they snuggle, but it turns out Jayden isn't much of a nursemaid in my head. Ah, well.

* * *

"You're staying with us tonight."

Antonio blinked at him, clearly startled. The rest of the team were giving him funny looks. "But I - "

"You're staying," Jayden repeated firmly. He leveled Antonio with a look that informed him he would drag him back to Shiba House if he had to.

Antonio huffed and rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath. But he for all his grumbling he did walk beside Jayden as they headed for home, and that told him everything he needed to know. Not that it mattered, but it only served to further prove his point - even if no one else had noticed.

* * *

"You don't have to do this," Antonio argued as Jayden pulled the blankets up to his chin. "I'm fine!"

Jayden gave him a pointed look. "You are ***not*** fine, and you're not going to convince me otherwise. I'll be back in a few minutes with food. ***Stay put***."

"But what if I have to go to the bathroom?"

"Hold it."

He ignored the face he knew Antonio was making at his back, heading into the kitchen with a frown. What to feed him ... He definitely needed something with a lot of protein and energy, so something simple like soup wouldn't be enough.

Stir-fry, he decided finally, reaching for the wok beside the stove. It was easy enough to make.

"I didn't know you could cook, Jayden."

He glanced over his shoulder at Emily, who lurked in the doorway with a surprised smile. "Ji taught me. I usually don't need to. And I'm no - " He caught himself, "Master."

There was a look in Emily's eyes that said she suspected what he'd been about to say, but she didn't call him on it.

"Ah," Mike piped up from behind her, giving him a knowing smirk, "But are you Mia?"

Jayden snorted. "No. I don't experiment like she does. But I can feed myself if I have to."

"Can you feed anyone else?" Mike teased, leaning around him to steal a snow pea from the strainer of vegetables he'd just washed. "That's the real question."

He swatted his hand away. "If I wanted Antonio dead, there are a lot more efficient ways of doing it."

Mike eyed him. "Yeah, because that doesn't sound totally creepy."

Jayden gave him a long look out of the corner of his eye: the one Antonio had once cheerfully told him made him look like a serial killer.

Mike flinched, raising his hands in surrender. "I'm going, I'm going!" he insisted. He paused, snatched another snow pea from the wok, and bolted out the door.

Jayden rolled his eyes.

"Let us know if you need any help," Emily offered, giggling.

He nodded, flashing her a faint smile in thanks.

Antonio hadn't moved by the time he returned, which worried him. He lay perfectly still, staring up at the ceiling with a glazed look in his eyes. He was still blinking, but for Antonio to be this still without being unconscious was not a good sign.

He set the tray he'd brought on the side table. "Can you sit up?"

Antonio blinked again, his eyes clearing enough to focus on him briefly. His brow furrowed in confusion. "Jayden?"

"I'm going to help you sit up," he told him, ignoring the chill that ran down his spine. "I've got dinner for you."

Antonio blinked again. "Did Mia make it?"

"No. I did."

"Oh."

He sighed, leaning over and carefully pulling Antonio up. Arms came around his neck, and Antonio's head dropped to rest on his shoulder. "You're not helping," he muttered, shifting the other with a slight grunt of effort.

"Sorry."

He sighed again, shaking his head as he rearranged the pillows behind him. "Can you feed yourself, or do I need to do it for you?"

Antonio was silent.

" ... Antonio?"

"I'm trying to decide which sounds more fun."

He rolled his eyes and put the tray on the bed. "Just eat what you can. You need as much protein as you can get right now."

Antonio poked slowly at the bowl with a fork, looking up at him from under his eyelashes. " ... Share it with me?"

He shook his head again, trying not to smile even as he found himself moving to sit beside him. "I'll finish it when you're done. You need it more than I do."

"Liar," Antonio accused, shifting over to make room. "You used a lot of energy today, too."

"I didn't unlock an ancient artifact that everyone else deemed impossible."

"That's me: always impossible."

He chuckled a little. "I'm sure Mentor would agree."

Antonio gave him a glare. "Do not, I repeat, do not ***ever*** mention Mentor when you and I are in bed together again. That's just ***wrong***."

Jayden flushed, shoving him in the shoulder. "Antonio!"

"It ***is***."

" ... Eat your stir-fry."

They sat in silence for a while, Antonio eating painfully slow bites as they passed the fork back and forth between them. Jayden tried not to worry too much about the way Antonio's energy seemed to come and go in spurts. What he had done today was ***incredible***; even more so than anyone else seemed to realize. But none of it mattered if it cost him this much to do it.

Eventually there was a slight elbow in his side. "I'll be fine, worrywart. I'm just tired."

Jayden closed his eyes, leaning into him a little more. The initial high he'd had from using The Black Box was finally gone, and now that Antonio was finally in a place where he could keep an eye on him, he was starting to feel sleepy. "You'd better be."

Something lightly brushed against his temple. "Everything is fine, Jay," Antonio murmured. "The world is safe, the team is relaxing, and I'm right here. I promise I'll be back to my impossible self in no time."

_You'd better_, he thought drowsily as he finally drifted off to sleep.


	7. A Promise to Wait

**Author's Notes/:** Ah, AntonioDramatics. How I love them.

This is ... not exactly what I was hoping for. But that entire episode made Antonio look like a moron after all this time he's been totally awesome and I hated it, so I had to fix it somehow.

* * *

For once he found Antonio exactly where he'd expected him to be: at the pier, staring out across the water with a distant look in his eyes.

He lightly bumped shoulders as he mimicked his pose. He said nothing, waiting patiently for Antonio to speak first. He knew he wouldn't have to wait long; if there was anything Antonio hated more than being still, it was silence.

"I am the worst Power Ranger ever."

Jayden scoffed.

"I'm serious, Jayden." Antonio glared at him, but there was a suspicious shine to his eyes. "Not only did I manage to lose my morpher - something that should ***never*** leave my side - but I _didn't notice_. You all could have been - could have been _destroyed_, because of me! Because of my carelessness! Because I wasn't paying attention when I should have been!"

Jayden waited, watching the wide gestures Antonio made with his right hand as he spoke.

"You should throw me off the team," Antonio went on bitterly. "Take my morpher back. Obviously I don't deserve it. Here." He fumbled in his pocked for a moment before thrusting the morpher at Jayden. "Here, take it. Give it to someone - someone better than me."

Jayden looked down at the morpher for a long moment, taking in the way Antonio's hand trembled ever-so-slightly. Finally he reached out and closed Antonio's hand around it. "Shut up."

Antonio looked pained. "Jayden - "

"I mean it, Antonio. You made a mistake. Everyone on this team has done something stupid at one point or another. I'm not taking away your morpher just because you were distracted for one day. Which is perfectly acceptable, seeing as you're still recovering from unlocking The Black Box." He gave him a pointed look, because no matter how much Antonio liked to pretend he was fine, three days was not enough recovery time for something as monumental as that had been.

"For that matter, this isn't even my morpher - it's yours," he added in afterthought, because it was. The Shiba family could technically claim ownership of the Blue, Green, Pink, and Yellow Samurizers, as they had been the ones to create and guard them for the last several hundred years. But the Gold Morpher was something Antonio had made himself; they had no right to take it from him.

It was something that had occurred to him long after the initial fight over allowing Antonio to join the team. He'd always regretted not thinking of it sooner.

Antonio only looked more miserable. "Why aren't you mad at me? Someone could have gotten really hurt today."

Jayden shook his head, sighing softly in amusement. "Antonio, if we had truly needed you, there is no doubt in my mind that you would have come - morpher or no."

For some reason, Antonio seemed to tense up at that. " ... What do you mean?" he asked warily.

"Because you promised," Jayden said simply.

Antonio blinked at him.

"You promised that you would fight with me, and that you would always be there for me when I need you. And you've never broken a promise to me."

A memory briefly flickered through his mind, from years ago. Of a little boy soaked to the bone, covered in mud, and shivering, and still looking at him with the most earnest expression he'd ever seen. "_I p-promised."_

There was a painfully vulnerable look on Antonio's face. " ... You really believe that?"

He nodded seriously. "I absolutely believe it."

There was a long silence as they stared at one another.

Antonio sighed, leaning into him and bumping their shoulders together again. "How can you have such faith in me?"

"I could say the same thing."

"Have you met yourself? You're stubborn to the point of stupidity sometimes."

"Takes one to know one."

Antonio threw his head back and laughed, loud and long enough that the people around them gave them funny looks. Jayden just shook his head, watching him laugh with a faint smile on his face. He wasn't sure why it was so funny, but if it made Antonio laugh, that was all that mattered.

Eventually Antonio's laughter died off, leaving him chuckling softly to himself. He dropped his head on Jayden's shoulder with a sigh. "We deserve each other."

"We do," Jayden agreed, amused.

"So you're really not upset about today?"

"I'm really not."

"You're sure?"

"I'm not saying it again."

They watched the water in silence. He thought about pushing Antonio's head off his shoulder just to make him pout, but he couldn't quite bring himself to do it. He wasn't that heavy, anyway.

" ... I haven't fulfilled all of the promises I've made to you, you know."

He froze.

After a long moment, he forced himself to swallow. "I know," he whispered.

Antonio's hand settled on top of his on the railing, squeezing gently. "It's okay, Jay," he murmured. "I've waited this long, I can wait a little longer. I promise."

Jayden closed his eyes, leaning into Antonio a little more.

"We should get some ice cream."

He made a noise of agreement.

Neither of them moved for a very long time.


	8. A Promise for Silence

**Author's Notes/:** I kind of love Mike in this chapter. Not only is he an excellent plot device, but he inspires facepalm!

Honestly, I think Mike is severely lacking in social skills. He doesn't seem to have very many friends, so he hasn't had enough social interraction to realize when he's being obnoxious or rude. So he's not trying to be a jerk; he just doesn't know any better. (Plus it's more fun to think of him this way.)

Antonio's response to Mike's question is remarkably similar a question he answers in PunkPinkPower's lovely Now Kiss, which was not intended, but possibly somewhat inspired by. Much love and credit to her for it.

* * *

He thought he should probably be more surprised by the time he finally realized that Antonio was staying the night with them again, but all he really managed was to feel incredibly grateful.

"So." Antonio's voice was quiet, but he'd been lost enough in his thoughts as they added more blankets to his bed - Antonio was and had always been a terrible blanket hog - that he still started a little at the sound. "Who's idea was the aversion therapy?"

"Kevin's," he admitted relectantly. "But Mentor supported it."

Antonio hmmed. "Remind me to spar with him tomorrow."

Jayden gave him a look. "Antonio."

Antonio flashed him an innocent smile. "Hmm?"

He sighed. It wasn't worth fighting over. "Nevermind."

Antonio climbed in, squirming as close to the wall as he could to make room, and Jayden slid in after him, adjusting the blankets in preparation for the inevitable fight for them they'd eventually have. "Sharing a bed was a lot easier when we were smaller," he muttered.

"It's not that bad. We just have to get closer."

Surprisingly, it really wasn't that bad. Facing each other left them almost nose-to-nose, but they managed to tangle their legs together with a minimal amount of kicking. Antonio's left arm ended up curled around Jayden's hip, the other tucked under a pillow. Jayden spent a moment trying to figure out what to do with his own hands before Antonio huffed, forcing one around him and over his back and entangling the other under the pillows with his own.

Antonio sighed contentedly. "See? All it takes is a little careful manuvering."

Jayden chuckled. "What? No kiss?"

Antonio cracked an eye open to look at him, then leaned in and brushed their lips together. "You want a story, too?"

" ... I was kidding," he muttered. His cheeks felt hot.

"Too embarrassed to kiss me now that we're all grown up?" Antonio pouted.

He shook his head. "You're impossible."

"Yup. So, story?"

He closed his eyes, trying not to smile as he leaned in to rest his head against Antonio's. "Something happy," he said softly, trying to forget the memory of the spider crawling along his skin, memories of a dark night and a man who fell without a sound, twiching on the ground. "Tell me ... tell me the story of how you met your family."

"Ah. Now this story does not have a happy beginning, but it does have a happy ending.

"The second worst day of my life happened not even a month after the worst. My father and I had only been in Angel Grove for a few weeks; not even long enough to really know our way around. It was a fishing accident, of course: he spent the night out on the water during a storm, even though all the news reports warned it was gonna be a bad one. He never listened to them, though; he left me in a hotel room and promised to be back in the morning ... only he never came."

The sudden knock startled them both. Antonio cursed softly in Spanish, and Jayden sat up just enough to look at the door. "What is it?"

"Jayden?" Emily sounded painfully meek. "I'm sorry to bother you, but I wanted to check and see if you were okay, and then I heard voices ... "

He sighed and looked at Antonio. Antonio rolled his eyes, shrugged and nodded.

"You can come in, Emily."

The door cracked open, just enough to reveal Emily's sheepish expression from the light in the hallway. "Is everything all right?"

"Everything's fine," Jayden assured her.

"We're having a slumber party," Antonio added with a grin.

"A slumber party?" another voice came from the hall, and Mia's face peeked in behind Emily's shoulder. "Why aren't you two asleep?"

"Avoiding nightmares," Antonio told them cheerfully. "They're going to happen at some point, but we're trying to put them off as long as we can."

"Nightmares?" Emily took a step into the room. The light and shadows gave a weird cast to her face, but somehow they could both still tell she was worried. "But I thought you said you were over your fear, Antonio."

"Ah, it's less 'over it', and more like 'learned to keep from screaming about it'," Antonio said wryly. "Tell Kevin thanks, but aversion therapy isn't really an instant cure."

"How'd you know it was Kevin's idea?" Mike asked from the doorway. He leaned back into the hallway, calling "Hey, Kev! They're gossiping about you in here!"

Somehow Jayden thought he should be more surprised by this, but all he managed to do was sigh as Kevin joined them. "What are you all doing awake?"

Mike shrugged and plopped down on the end of the bed uninvited. "Couldn't sleep." He paused, squinting at them. " ... Are you two cuddling under the blankets?"

"Mia couldn't sleep either, so we were going to share some hot chocolate," Emily piped up, sitting next to Mike with a light shove and a look.

"I was leaving the bathroom when Mike started yelling at me," Kevin grumbled, leaning against the doorway. "Why are you two awake?"

"I made Jayden promise to let me tell him stories so I won't have nightmares tonight," Antonio told him. "But Emily interrupted." He shot her a playful glare.

Mike frowned. "I thought you said you were over your fear."

Antonio chuckled, and Jayden had to fight a smile at the echo of Emily's words. "It's more that I learned to control it enough to get through the fight. Remind me to introduce you guys to Aunt Ashley some time; she has some strong opinions about aversion therapy."

"Does she have experience with therapy patients?" Mia asked curiously.

Antonio's grin shone in the dark. "You could say that. She has doctorates in emergency medicine and psychology."

"That's an odd combination," Kevin commented. He shifted.

Mia huffed softly, getting up to grab his hand and drag him down to sit on the floor with her. "What made her choose those?"

"From what I was told, experience," Antonio replied. Jayden eyed him; there was smug about his tone. "But she likes to blame Uncle Andros and Uncle Zhane for the idea."

"So why didn't you call her up about your problem?" Mike asked, moving to lean more comfortably against the wall. He held out an arm in invitation, and Emily immediately crawled over to snuggle under it with a happy smile.

"I did, actually - right after Switchbeast was defeated. She said that I probably had post-traumatic stress, and while it takes time to work through it, it's something a lot of people suffer from. She said to take it slow and figure out my triggers first." He sighed. "But my triggers are fish, and most of my Powers are based around fish."

"Why is that, anyway?" Mike interrupted. "I mean, your symbol power is ***light***, right? But you use the Baracuda Blade and Octozord and Clawzord."

"Jayden gave me Ocotozord," Antonio reminded him. "And Mentor asked me to fix Clawzord. But I picked the Baracuda Blade for one, because it matched Octo, and for another, for my father."

"Your father?" Mia echoed, sounding puzzled.

"My father was a fisherman. I fish because it reminds me of him, and helps me keep his memory close. He's also the reason Jayden and I met." He glanced at Jayden, and there was a gentle squeeze on his hand still under the pillow. So when I built my Samurai morpher, I named my sword with him in mind."

"So why don't you remember that when you morph, instead of remembering - " Emily hesitated. "Remembering what happened?"

"I was trying to," Antonio sighed, looking disappointed. "But it doesn't always work like that."

There was a long silence as Emily watched them with open concern, Mia looked thoughtful, and Kevin yawned. Jayden wondered if it was too much to hope they'd all decide to head back to their rooms now.

"So are you and Jayden dating or what?"

And suddenly he was torn between horror, blushing, and being incredibly amused by the reactions of his team. Emily had gone wide-eyed, elbowing him with a hiss of "_Mike!_". Mia paled and went very still. Kevin quietly covered his face with a hand.

Mike yelped. "Ow! What?" he demanded. "It's an honest question!"

"It's none of our business!" Emily whispered.

"Well, Jayden is one of the most important people in my life," Antonio spoke up, sounding thoughtful as he lifted his hand from Jayden's waist to put it behind his head as he reclined against the pillows. "Feel free to interpret that how you like."

There was a long pause. Jayden began to desperately hope he wasn't blushing.

"That's ... not really an answer," Emily ventured hesitantly. "I mean, it really isn't any of our business and all, so if you really don't want to talk about it - "

"Em," Jayden cut in. She immediately fell silent, and he sighed, reaching up to rub his head. How had trying to avoid some nightmares turned into this?

He tried for a moment to find the right words to explain to them. That Antonio was ***the*** most important person in his life, the one he trusted more than anyone. That they weren't exactly together, because their duties as Samurai had to come first. But that they had promised -

Antonio's hand squeezed his.

_- "Don't tell the others about ... about why I - "_

_"They'll never hear it from me. I promise." -_

"So, who wants to hear about the time my cousin and I discovered what happens to water balloons in the middle of winter?"


	9. A Promise for Forever

**Author's Notes/:** Mike's joke is stolen from various places around the internets. I personally think it's kind of tasteless, but it was honestly the nicest one I could find for the situation. I sincerely apologize to anyone who might find it offensive.

I like to call this the EmoBroodingJayden chapter. Originally it was going to be more Jayden fussing over Antonio post-The Rescue, but then I managed to finally figure out what Antonio's necklace/pendant thing is. This was the result.

* * *

He stared at the training dummy in front of him, chest heaving.

_- Mia frowning at him. "Jayden, I really think - " -_

_- Kevin looking at him intently, a copy of The Way of the Samurai in his hands. "Honesty is about more than just words. It's being honest with yourself." -_

_- Emily biting her lip anxiously. "Are you sure everything's okay between you and Antonio?" -_

_- Mike's derisive laughter floating through the doorway. "Jayden's so far in the closet, he's in __***Narnia***__." -_

Gritting his teeth, he gave a hard spin kick to the dummy's chest. The spin turned into a series of hard, rapid punches. His frustration boiled over, and he slammed his palm against it with a wordless yell. His head dropped, shoulders shaking from exertion.

Part of him was glad, just a little, that his friends were so concerned for Antonio's happiness. That they wanted them ***both*** to be happy. Because that was really all they were after.

The rest of him just wanted to scream.

He knew what he felt for Antonio. He'd always known. He'd known it from the very first time Antonio had kept one of his promises to him. He'd known it when he'd given him the OctoZord, never once doubting that Antonio would come back someday.

Even then, at five years old and only having known each other for less than a year, he'd known that Antonio was special. He hadn't really understood why, but he still ***knew***. As he'd grown older, learned more, and understood himself more, his feelings had only grown stronger.

Antonio was so many things. As children, he'd been the one to make him smile again, just months after losing his family. During the time they'd been apart, it was the letters Antonio sent that kept him going, reminding him there was a world outside of Shiba House and his Samurai training, and some day after Master Xandred had been defeated he was going to see it. And then he'd come back, and now Antonio was always there to remind him how to laugh again. To give him strength when he needed it most.

He couldn't imagine himself without Antonio anymore. He didn't want to.

He wasn't repressed, like Mia seemed to think. He wasn't denying anything the way Kevin thought. He definitely wasn't as oblivious Emily believed. And while he may never have bothered to wonder what his preferences were, Mike's pointed teasing was unnecessary. And annoying.

He was a ***Samurai***. He had a duty to his family, to the people of Earth. He needed to be focused and strong. As much as he hated it - and he did, no matter what anyone else thought - he couldn't afford to put his own wants first right now. Letting anyone know about his feelings for Antonio would be putting a flashing target on his back. Hadn't Master Xandred already tried to target him because of the sealing symbol? Hadn't anyone else thought of what might happen if the Nighloks even ***guessed*** how much he really cared about his best friend?

"Jayden?"

Antonio was watching him from the door to Shiba House, frowning. "What's wrong?"

He closed his eyes, taking a slow breath to try and calm himself. "I - "

Emily appeared in the doorway behind Antonio. Her eyes lit up at seeing the two of them alone together. "Oh, sorry! Did I interrupt something?"

Jayden's fist clenched. "I'm going for a walk." he said shortly.

The last thing he heard was Mike's voice. "Okay, who broke Jayden?"

* * *

He wandered along the pier, staring out at the ocean.

_- "Okay, who broke Jayden?" -_

***Was*** he broken? Was there something wrong with him that just didn't ... translate? Was that why his friends didn't understand?

He wasn't normal, but that was nothing new. He knew Mike and Emily, and occasionally Mia, thought he was too formal sometimes, but that was more habit than anything, from years of training as lord of the Shiba family. Even Kevin thought he was obsessed with his Samurai training, which was actually a little annoying. And none of them had the same intuition that he did, which still earned him odd looks sometimes even though he'd never been wrong.

He frowned. If his friends couldn't understand, did that mean that ***Antonio*** didn't?

It wasn't like they talked about it. There was that one moment, just after they'd argued over Antonio losing his morpher, that he'd brought up the promise. But neither of them had said it aloud, or mentioned about it since. What if Antonio had been talking about something else?

... No. He was sure that was what he'd meant. He'd said he would wait, after all.

What if he thought ***Jayden*** didn't want to keep it? Was Emily right? Was he hurting Antonio by keeping silent? Or Mia, that pretending he didn't care as much as he did might make Antonio question what he felt for him?

What if Antonio thought he was just too scared to tell him he didn't want to do it now that they were old enough to understand?

The thought made him nauseous. When they'd been separated, there were days that that promise had been part of what gave him faith that he'd see Antonio again. Even now, thinking about what their lives would be like someday was what gave him the strength to fight. Because someday he was going to have a life, and a family, and he'd never have to fight again.

If Antonio thought he didn't want it anymore ...

He closed his eyes, swallowing hard.

When he opened them again, a shop across the street caught his eye. He stopped to stare at it, wondering. It wasn't a place he would normally bother with, but ... maybe ...

For Antonio, he could. If it would help remind him. If it helped say what he couldn't.

Taking a deep breath, he swallowed his pride and headed in.

* * *

He wasn't surprised when Antonio finally found him at the river where they'd first met again.

Antonio sat down beside him, mimicking his pose and hugging his knees. "I told our nosy friends to butt out," he informed him with a cheerful smile. There was a slight edge to it, hinting he was still upset with them.

Jayden nodded. He hadn't expected any less once Antonio knew what was going on. It was part of why he hadn't said anything.

Antonio's arm dropped around his shoulders. "Want me to beat them all up at training tomorrow?"

He smiled a little, even if Antonio wasn't entirely kidding. He shook his head. "It's all right."

"It's not all right."

"They were just trying to help. I'm glad they care so much about your feelings."

"They hurt ***your*** feelings."

"No," he said softly, even if they had, a little. "They just ... they don't understand."

"That's not an excuse."

"Not everyone reads me as well as you do."

"They should," Antonio muttered darkly.

His smile widened. This was why he'd never forgotten. Why he'd always known that someday they'd keep their promise. Because this, ***them*** and how they were together, hadn't changed at all.

"Antonio?"

"Hmm?"

He turned to look at him, considering for a moment. There were proper ways, better ways, to do this. But Antonio had never been the type for ceremony.

He reached into his pocket. "I ... "

Antonio glanced at him, frowning. "Jayden?"

He took a deep breath. "When I'm no longer needed as Red Ranger, I promise to marry you. So we can stay together forever."

Antonio's eyes went comically wide.

He pressed the ring into his hand. "It's ... it's nothing fancy," he murmured, feeling guilty about the plain, thin silver band. "I just ... It reminded me of the ring from your parents, and I know how much that one means to you."

" ... You put up a barrier after you got here, right? So no one can hear us?"

He winced a little. "Yeah."

The next thing he knew he was flat on his back with Antonio leaning over him. There was something dark and intent in his eyes. "I would kiss you right now if I didn't think the Nighlok would see us," Antonio informed him.

Jayden flushed.

There was a pause as Antonio gave him a considering look. "Is this because of what the others have been saying?"

He cringed. "A little," he admitted. "They made me wonder if you knew I still ... that I still want to. Someday. And I wanted you to know that I do."

Antonio huffed, shaking his head with a smile before dropping it against Jayden's shoulder. "Jayden... I never doubted that," he sighed. "You didn't have to do this to prove anything to me."

Jayden bit the inside of his cheek - an old habit Ji had been trying to break him of for years. "And if I did it because I wanted you to know that I ... ?"

Antonio lifted his head and gave him one of his brilliant, heart-stopping smiles. "I know. Me, too."

Discreetly, so no one who wasn't practically on top of them would see, one of Antonio's thumbs moved from pinning his shoulders to the ground to stroke the side of his neck. "And I promise that when you're ready, I'll marry you. And we'll stay together forever, no matter what. I promise."

Jayden smiled, and Antonio bumped their heads together with a grin. "It's a promise," he whispered back.


	10. A Promise to Understand

**Author's Notes/:** And we finally get to see (my) explanations for Antonio's necklace! The big ring was inspired by the lovely Phantom Rosabelle, who suggested it. As for the coin, I know it technically should still be in the fountain, but for the purposes of this story, he went back and got it later. (I may end up writing this and/or it being given to Antonio at some point in the eventual prequel to this story.)

* * *

"Did they ever say anything to you about why they kidnapped you and Mentor?"

It took sheer discipline for Jayden to keep from reacting to Mia's question. He forced himself to look up instead, plastering a curious look on his face and hoping no one could see his fist clenching around his glass. The glass shook a little in his hand, and he forced himself to take a subtle, calming breath before he broke it.

"Bait," Antonio answered her, making a face. "For the team. They knew you guys would find us."

"And we are grateful that you did," Ji added.

It was hard not to let out a sigh of relief, and he hated himself for it. Just like he hated how calm he'd managed to stay throughout the search and the fight afterwards. How controlled and emotionless he'd been. They could have been rescuing anyone, anyone at all.

"Is that a new necklace, Antonio?" Emily asked, looking curious. "It looks different than before."

Antonio lit up at the question. Jayden forced himself to focus on his juice instead. "You have a good eye, _mi amiga_!" Instead of taking it off for her to see, he leaned forward to show her.

"What is it?" Mike asked, leaning across the table.

Emily frowned. "It's ... two rings and a medal?"

"Yup." Antonio looked content, giving the cord around his neck an absent pat as he sat up straight. "They're mementos from people important to me. They're very special, so I keep them close so I won't lose any of them."

Kevin frowned. "If they're so special, why don't you put them away somewhere?"

Antonio blinked at him. "Because special things are meant to be kept close to your heart. Not hidden away."

"Why are they so special to you?" Jayden spoke up, even though he already knew.

Antonio's eyes flickered to him, sparkling in amusement. "Well, this big ring," He lifted the cord, catching the ring in question and lifting it with a finger, "Is from my parents. When they got married, they ordered a third ring for me, because Papa said it was my wedding, too."

Mia looked teary-eyed. "That's so sweet!"

He grinned at her. "They ordered it really big when I was little so I could grow into it, so I put it on this cord. But now that I'm older, it's too big to wear."

"So why don't you get it resized?" Mike leaned over more, practically laying across the table as he tried to get a better look. Ji gave him a look of disapproval, but he ignored it.

Antonio made a face. "It's a bad idea for fishermen to wear rings."

"Can't imagine why," Kevin drawled, and Jayden knew they were all remembering the fishing hook incident when the girls started fighting giggles and Mike smirked. Antonio glared back at him.

"The coin," Antonio continued, huffing, "Is from my big brother."

Emily looked delighted. "I didn't know you had a brother, Antonio!"

"Sort of. We're not related," he dismissed. "Anyway, he gave me this old wishing coin just before I came here, for luck. But he warned me not to make a wish on it, because they have a tendency to backfire. So I drilled a hole in it and put it around my neck instead." He played with it for a moment, smiling fondly.

"And the last one?" Mike prompted.

There was a long pause, and Antonio gave them all a secretive smile as he slipped the thinner ring onto the tip of his thumb. "This one? This is a promise ring."

"Promise ring?" Mia echoed, frowning.

Antonio nodded, his smile turning playfully smug. "Mm-hmm. It's a symbol for a very important promise."

Mike raised an eyebrow. "What, like an engagement ring?"

Antonio's eyes flickered to him, and his smile widened. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

* * *

"I think I might have given Mike a heart attack," Antonio commented later as Jayden carefully rubbed ointment on his back.

Jayden made a noise of acknowledgement.

"Definitely Kevin."

"Mm."

"And was it me, or was Mia pouting?"

"Mm."

"Ji looked kind of suspicious."

"Mm."

"I've decided I want to become a girl."

"Mm."

"And I was thinking about having a horn grafted to my forehead, so I can tell everyone I'm a unicorn."

"I'm listening to you," Jayden murmured. "Kevin looked more horrified than shocked. Mia's probably jealous because it's her dream to be a bride and start a family someday. Ji knows you well enough now to always be suspicious of what you're up to."

" ... Does that mean you really wouldn't care if I became a girl?"

"I think we've proven you can convince me to accept just about anything. But if you start telling everyone that you're a unicorn, I'm not interfering when Mike starts tying rainbow streamers to your horn in your sleep."

Antonio laughed. "But will you say something when he tries to pin them to the back of my pants?"

He turned with a smile, but Jayden avoided his eyes, carefully packing away the medical kit instead.

There was a soft sigh, and arms slipped around him from behind. "Jayden ... "

"Don't," he said shortly.

The arms tightened. "It's ***not*** your fault," Antonio insisted. "I told you: we were bait for the team, not for you specifically. They don't know. And even if they had, it just happened. It probably would have happened to any one of us who happened to be out in the middle of nowhere. I'm not any more of a target than the rest of the team is."

Because that made it ***so*** much better.

"I knew you would come for us. That's why I wasn't worried. Because I knew you would find a way to spring the trap and save us."

Jayden shut his eyes, fists clenching on top of the kit. '_I wasn't worried.'_ The words seemed to echo through his mind, taunting him.

There was a pause, and a soft sigh against his ear. "Jayden - "

"I'm sorry." It slipped out before he could stop it, and he could feel himself starting to shake. "I'm ... I'm sorry." _I should be able to tell you I was worried. I should be able to tell you how scared I was. How angry the thought that you were hurt made me. How terrified I felt at the thought that I could lose you._

But he couldn't say it. No matter how much he wanted to, ***needed*** to, he couldn't get the words past his throat. Even in Shiba House, where he ***knew*** the Nighlok couldn't enter, he was too terrified of being overheard to tell Antonio all the things he deserved to know.

Antonio shifted, forcing him to turn around, and hugged him again before he could break away. His hands came up reflexively to clench in Antonio's shirt. "Shh ... " Antonio murmured in his ear. "It's okay, Jayden. I know. I promise I know. I'm sorry I scared you. I know you were worried. I understand, I promise."

"I'm sorry," he whispered again, dropping his head against Antonio's shoulder. _I'm sorry I'm so broken. I'm sorry I can't even tell you how I feel._

Gentle pressure against his temple, and the arms around him squeezed again. "Hush. I understand. I promise. I promise."


	11. A Promise for a Future

**Author's Notes/:** For anyone who hasn't read The Wedding yet, the opening conversation is a reference to it.

* * *

"So what happened to Cody's mom? I'm guessing they didn't divorce, seeing as marriage is supposed to be forever."

Jayden smiled, watching Antonio play with a prism as they lay together on the floor of his bedroom. "I wondered if you'd remember him."

Antonio snorted. "He's the reason for the promise. Of course I remember."

"I thought it was her fault."

"He's the one who proposed to her, which means he's the reason they had a wedding. Which since we had to go to that wedding, and that's where we talked to her, makes it ***his*** fault."

He shook his head, not wanting to argue with Antonio's logic. "She died, giving birth to Cody."

"Oh."

There was a long silence. Antonio twisted the prism in his hands again, sending another spay of tiny rainbows over the wall. "She was nice," he offered at last.

"She was," Jayden agreed. His eyes flickered toward him. "I didn't know her, either."

Antonio let out a relieved sigh. "Oh, good."

He chuckled. "I've never met most of the family outside of social obligations, and they don't talk to me much."

Antonio's nose wrinkled. "I can't imagine not talking to your family. I mean, I'm not actually related to most of mine, but I can still name the ones I haven't met in pictures and tell you something about them."

He smiled a little, feeling wistful. "Must be nice."

"It is until the holiday season."

He rolled his eyes, elbowing him lightly. "Very funny."

"I'm serious!" Antonio protested, but he was already fighting a smile. "I have fifty-nine people to buy presents for, with three more on the way. And nineteen cards to send!" He paused. "Wait, sixty presents and eighteen cards. I finally got to meet Uncle Wes at Christmas."

Jayden stared at him, stunned. "How do you keep everyone straight?"

"Well, mostly I stick to the people I know personally. And it's not like I see everybody all the time - some of them are just for special occasions. It's a lot easier after that."

He shook head. "I can't even imagine."

"You will." Antonio was very carefully focused on trying to angle his prism to get more rainbows on the ceiling, but there was a hint of finality in his voice.

He flushed and stared at one of the rainbows, clearing his throat. "So, three on the way?"

"Mm-hmm. Aunt Ashley and Aunt Karone are both pregnant, and Aunt Cassie and Aunt Ko-lin are talking about adoption."

He frowned, thinking. "Wasn't your Aunt Ashley the one with the doctorate in psychology?"

"And emergency medicine," Antonio agreed, sounding pleased that he'd remembered.

"And ... you have a younger brother now," he murmured, trying to keep everyone straight.

Antonio smiled happily, twisting his wrist for another wave of dancing rainbows. "Bridge."

" ... What?"

He laughed. "That's his name: Bridge. Papa named him. He said it fit, since he's what connects him and Dad to Mom and Zack. And the whole being born on a plane thing."

Jayden hesitated. "Who's Zack?"

"I didn't tell you?" Antonio looked genuinely surprised. "He's Mom's husband. So he's kind of like my step-dad, I guess. I just call him Zack because I was running out of words for dad."

Jayden nodded, feeling slightly relieved that he hadn't accidentally forgotten who he was. "How many cousins do you have then, if you have so many aunts and uncles?"

"Twenty-seven. Twenty-eight if Aunt Cassie and Aunt Ko-lin go through with adopting. Sky and Elizabeth and the Fernandez twins are just babies, though. And I haven't actually met Terry yet, but we e-mail sometimes."

"A big family," he said softly, trying not to think of the things he wasn't supposed to talk about. She flickered through his mind anyway, but all he could remember was frightened blue eyes and blond hair falling in his face as she clutched him close, trying not to let him see the battle outside. He wondered briefly what her eyes looked like now and shoved the thought away before he could dwell on it. "I only have ... distant relatives," he added, trying to distract himself. "A few cousins, mostly. I think I have an uncle somewhere, but I've never heard much about him." He paused, swallowing hard and staring at one of the rainbows on the ceiling. "My father always considered his team to be family. I used to call them my aunts and uncles when I was little."

Another memory flickered, of darkness and the sounds of screaming outside, crying because _his family was __***dying***_ and he there was nothing he could do.

Antonio's hand took his, squeezing just enough to catch his attention. "You were pretty good with Cody, you know."

He blinked for a moment, trying to refocus his thoughts. "So were you."

"I'm used to kids, though. You're a natural."

"He was just excited to finally meet us, because he's grown up on stories about the Samurai Rangers," he murmured, remembering the boy's bright smile as he greeted them eagerly.

Antonio huffed. "I'm saying that I want to have kids someday."

Jayden's eyes widened.

"Adopted, obviously," he continued. "Because there are a lot of kids in the world who need good homes. But I think we'd make good parents, don't you?"

" ... I've never really thought about it before."

It wasn't entirely true; he'd stopped himself whenever he started to think about it. It was a nice dream - a beautiful dream - but he had duties to worry about. He shouldn't be wasting time planning a future for himself until he was sure it was secure.

"And if you did think about it?"

He hesitated. He really shouldn't, but ...

For a brief moment, he imagined a little girl with blond hair and blue eyes, looking intensely focused as he stood behind her to gently correct her grip on a bokken. And then a little boy with dark hair and a bright smile, trailing after Antonio with a string of freshly-caught fish. The girl would sigh when she turned and saw them. _"Fish __***again***__?"_ And Antonio would scoop her up into his arms with a mock-glare, tickling her mercilessly as she laughed and squirmed to get free.

He blinked, shaking his head and banishing the image. "I - "

"Jayden." Antonio's voice was soft, and the hand around his squeezed gently again. "Would you want to have kids with me someday, and start a family of our own?"

Everything in him told him to keep his mouth shut, to focus on the now and not on a future he may never have. But Antonio was asking, so he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I want that more than anything in the world," he whispered.

"Okay."

His eyes opened, and he found Antonio watching him again, with one of those intently serious looks he gave when he meant every word he said. "If that's what you want, then I'll make it happen. Someday we'll start a family together, you and me. I promise."

Jayden managed a weak smile.

Antonio gave him another hand squeeze, and went back to making rainbows on the walls while Jayden watched in silence.


	12. A Promise to Grieve

**Author's Notes/:** I seriously do not know what's up with my ShinyAntonioMuse these days. I intended to write Team Fluff with Terry, because he is ADORABLE and there needs to be more of him, and somehow this is how it ended up. And now I have all the headcanon about the previous Samurai team. -_-;;

_mi primo _ - my cousin

_mi amigos_ - my friends

* * *

At this point, Jayden was fairly certain that Ji was the only one remotely surprised when they brought Terry home with them for the night.

But he had to admit that he was slightly startled himself when Antonio casually tossed his morpher to Terry, completely ignoring the shocked and scandalized look Ji gave him for it. "Here."

Terry frowned at it, glancing up at him in confusion. "What's this for?"

"Check-in time," Antonio informed him. "I do not want a hoard of overprotective ninjas coming after me in the middle of the night because you forgot to tell them you were staying over."

Terry snorted, flipping the morpher open to dial. "Wuss."

"I like my beauty sleep. And my health."

Terry ignored him, clearly focused on the call as someone picked up on the other end. "It's me. Just calling to say I'm not dead, possessed, or working for the enemy." He paused to listen and rolled his eyes. "Yes... No, I haven't been picked up by any forces of good either. I'm spending the night with Mia's team."

"Tell him I said hi," Antonio called, already making himself comfortable on the floor with his back against a stool.

"Antonio says he's not dead or possessed either," Terry continued. "I can't verify which side he works for yet, but Mia seems to think he's one of them. No promises on if he's staying on planet."

Antonio mock-glared at him. "Brat. Next festival's not 'til June."

The rest of the team stared at them. Mike and Emily looked almost amused, but Mia was frowning. Kevin was giving Antonio the sort of look he tended to give him when he was trying to figure out what planet he was from.

Jayden frowned as something occurred to him. _"And I haven't actually met Terry yet, but we e-mail sometimes."_ Had he meant ***this*** Terry?

"Yeah, sure." Terry turned to Mia, moving to toss her the morpher. "Heads up. Hunter wants to yell at you."

Ji made an anxious sound as the morpher flew past him, reaching toward it.

Mia looked slightly surprised, but she answered anyway. "Hello?" There was a pause, and she smiled warmly. "I'm fine. We've just been busy, that's all. Terry's right; you are a worrywart," she teased. Another pause, and she looked amused. "We haven't had any problems since Antonio got here. Which, I have a few questions about by the way - hey, wait! Hunter!" She stared at the morpher in her hand, looking scandalized. "He hung up on me!"

Terry snickered.

Mia looked up sharply, her eyes narrowing at her brother as he sat comfortably on top of the stool Antonio was leaning against.

"Uh oh. I think we're busted, _mi primo," _Antonio remarked.

Emily tried not to giggle and failed.

"You know Hunter," Mia accused Antonio. "How do you know Hunter?"

Antonio winced and shifted around a little. "Well, I was going to wait until you found out on your own, but - " He gave her a bright smile, holding out both arms. "Surprise! We're cousins!"

Jayden looked away, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing at Mia's expression.

Mike held up a finger. "Uh ... not to sound rude or anything, but ***how***?" he demanded, looking back and forth between the three of them.

Kevin was already shaking his head. "That's not possible," he insisted. He paused, frowning, and glanced at Ji. "Is it?"

"Relax, _mi amigos_," Antonio soothed, gesturing toward the floor with his palms. "No blood relations."

"His parents are friends with our guardians," Terry added, looking amused. "We've never actually met before today, but Cam's mentioned him."

Antonio nodded cheerfully. "I studied at Sensei Bradley's school for a while. Terry and Mia never come to any of the reunions, which is why we've never met before now." He gave Mia a playful pout.

Mia shook her head slowly, clearly overwhelmed. She chuckled a little. "Small world, I guess." She tilted her head at Antonio. "So you studied under Hunter?"

He made a face. "Not him so much. Different elements. And I wasn't there for very long before I moved on to work in the Samurai classes at the Wind Academy."

"Wait," Kevin interrupted. "You're telling me you took ***classes*** on how to be a Samurai?" He gave Antonio a skeptical look.

Antonio rolled his eyes. "It's a swordsmanship class designed by a Samurai. I didn't stay for too long anyway; their techniques didn't work for me."

Thinking of Antonio's strange stance, Jayden couldn't say he was surprised.

"So question," Mike interrupted, frowning. "Where's Terry going to sleep?"

There was a long pause as everyone considered this.

"We can have a slumber party in the living room!" Emily suggested brightly.

"Ooh, we ***have*** to make a blanket fort," Antonio insisted. "And hot chocolate! And s'mores!"

Mia frowned, glancing at her brother. "Do we have enough blankets for that?"

"I can find some," Jayden volunteered. "Thanks, Ji," he murmured as he passed him.

Ji sighed. "I suppose I had better help you locate some pillows," he said begrudgingly, and Jayden smiled.

"What are we making this fort out of, air?" he heard Kevin demand.

"Oh, we need chairs!" Emily squealed.

"And string!" Antonio agreed.

" ... String?" Terry repeated, sounding confused.

Jayden shook his head and went to find blankets.

* * *

It was late when he finally escaped to the bench outside. Mia, Emily, Antonio, and Terry were all curled together, sleeping soundly. Mike had chosen to use Kevin as a pillow after accusing him of being anti-social, and he supposed it said something for how good of friends they'd become when Kevin begrudgingly put up with it.

The slumber party had lasted later than he was sure Ji would have liked. Antonio and Mike had spent a great deal of time working on what they called 'The Epic Blanket Fort of Awesomeness' before Kevin declared it to be strategically unsound and took over. The end result was a large blanket held up from the ceiling by thumbtacks, string, and a few chairs, with several stools making a barricade to 'keep out intruders', as Antonio had claimed. Jayden wasn't entirely sure what qualified it as an actual blanket fort, but it made the others happy, so he decided not to argue.

Terry, Antonio, and Mia had serenaded them several times, both with and without guitar. Antonio taught them all how to make s'mores in the microwave, which led to a surprisingly heated debate between him and Emily over whether it actually counted as a s'more when the marshmallow hadn't been toasted over a fire. Kevin eventually ended the argument by shoving a s'more in each of their mouths to shut them up, which led to Mike laughing so hard he actually started choking.

There had been stories, from Antonio about his training days. From Kevin about what had gotten him interested in swimming, and Mike about how his dad had met his step-mother. Emily talked about growing up on the farm. Mia had told them about life with her cousin and his boyfriend, while Terry added in funny stories about Mia leaving for college.

He let out a long, slow sigh, leaning back on his hands to stare up at the stars. Sixteen years, he marveled. Sixteen years since the world had come to an end, only to begin again. Sometimes it felt like forever; sometimes it felt like no time had passed at all.

_Would you be happy, seeing us all together like this?_ he wondered. _Would you think I made the right decision, letting them go with Cameron?_

He didn't look up when Antonio joined him, bumping their shoulders together lightly. He just sighed, continuing to stare at the sky. _Would you approve of the team, be proud of what we've done so far?_ _Would you be happy for Antonio and I?_

"You're pretty quiet tonight."

The words were gentle and he sighed again, leaning against him. "I was thinking ... about Mia and Terry's mother," he admitted quietly. "And Emily's. All of our parents, I guess."

"Tell me about them."

He closed his eyes. "Aunt Kyoko was the musician," he said softly. "Not Aunt Hannah. She had a beautiful singing voice, and she played the piano. She taught me a little, but I wasn't very good at it." _Lauren was though,_ he finished silently, because he couldn't say it aloud. _They loved playing together; the sound filled up the whole house sometimes._ "Aunt Hannah loved gardening. She and Uncle Victor - it was their hobby together. You probably can't see it anymore, but they used to have an herb garden over there." He pointed, knowing where it was without needing to open his eyes.

"I can see it."

"She called Uncle Devon a plant killer." He laughed softly at the memory, even as tears pricked his eyes. "He couldn't grow anything without using symbol power; he was always forgetting to water it. He loved cooking, though. He's the one who started teaching me. Uncle Victor always complained that he made everything too spicy, so Uncle Devon finally told him he was a lightweight and to man up. They almost killed each other the next time they sparred. Dad - " His voice caught, and he forced the words out as his eyes scrunched to keep back tears. "Dad made them stand in separate corners for an hour, and then Mom lectured them for being a bad influence on me." _Because they were already making plans for Lauren by then, talking about sending her away and no one wanted me to know._

"When she died - " He stopped, swallowing hard. "Aunt Kyoko and Aunt Hannah told me that she was safe now, and nothing would ever hurt her again because she was in a better place. They said they'd take care of me until the day I saw her again." He smiled a little, but it was bitter. "They used to call me their little prince."

Fingers ran gently through his hair. "How did they die?"

"The final battle. Aunt Hannah fell just before - just before Dad sealed Master Xandred." He shuddered, the screams echoing through his mind. "That's when Aunt Kyoko was paralyzed. Uncle Devon and Uncle Victor survived but - "

_But they __***left***__ me_.

It was a cruel, childish thought, and he smothered it quickly. "They had their own families to get back to."

"What about you?" He could hear the frown in Antonio's voice.

He shook his head. "They gave up their lives to stay here and protect us. Uncle Devon lost Aunt Annabelle to the Nighlok - he was all Mike had left. And Kevin's mother - " He couldn't bring himself to call her Aunt Debra anymore - "She ... never really approved of Uncle Victor leaving. He left to try and save his marriage." It hadn't worked, but he couldn't blame him for trying.

"Aunt Kyoko sent me cards for my birthday and Christmas," he continued quietly. "Every year until she died." He still had them all, tucked away in the same place where he kept Antonio's letters.

There was a long silence.

"You can talk to us about them, you know. They were your family - you're allowed to grieve for them."

He shook his head roughly. "No. That's ... Emily never even knew her mother; she was only a year old when she came here. Mike was three when we lost Aunt Annabelle. Uncle Devon was never quite the same after that." He swallowed again, finally opening his eyes to look back up at the stars. "In some ways, I knew them better than they ever will. It would be cruel, telling them that I was there when they died."

"So you'd rather grieve alone." He clearly disapproved.

Jayden glanced at him. "No. I'd rather grieve with you." It was why he'd come out here, after all.

Antonio looked briefly startled before it melted into a soft, understanding smile.

"Next year," he continued hesitantly, because it was still hard to allow himself to imagine a future, "Will ... will you come with me? To the memorial?"

Antonio nodded, still smiling that soft smile as he wrapped an arm around him, leaning in close. "Of course. I'll grieve for our family with you," he murmured. "I promise."


	13. A Promise for Support

**Author's Notes/: **This almost immediately follows Birthday Presents, which has Rocky and Adam coming to visit Antonio for Rocky's birthday after the end of The Strange Case of the Munchies. The Kuroko are taken from Shinkenger; they're basically servants for the Shiba family. (Someone has to drive the SUVs, right?) As for Panorama City being on an island, that's part of my headcanon for how they have Japanese cultural influences and New Zealand accents.

Cultural Note: Marriage meetings are a Japanese tradition for arranged marriages, where the parents of a young man and woman come together to discuss joining their families. Normally the children don't even talk; it's more for the parents to interview each other and decide on dowries and whatnot. Most Samurai were married through an arranged marriage. While they're not as popular today, they do still happen.

* * *

They'd just finished cleaning the kitchen when Jayden's Samuraizer went off. He snapped it open. "Nighlok attack?" he demanded sharply, wondering why the gap sensor hadn't gone off. It wasn't malfunctioning, was it?

There was a long pause. "There's no Nighlok," Antonio said at last. "At least, not that I'm aware of."

He frowned, moving out of the kitchen and down the hall for privacy. "What's wrong?"

Antonio let out a long sigh. "Dad noticed the ring."

" ... Is this my warning to start running?" he asked suspiciously.

"Of course not." Antonio sounded amused. "They want to meet you."

Jayden frowned uncertainly. "I ... I suppose I can ask Ji, but we haven't told him yet." _And I wanted Lauren to be there_, he admitted reluctantly.

Another pause.

"Jayden." Now he sounded somewhere between amused and exasperated. "It's not a marriage meeting. My parents want to meet the guy whose ring I'm wearing around my neck. That's all."

He scowled. "That ***is*** - "

"No, it's not," Antonio argued. "Mom and Zack aren't even here. I'm not saying we shouldn't have one - ***someday***," he stressed, "But that's not what this is. I'm just introducing my best friend to my dad and papa while they're in town."

He closed his eyes, trying to decide. Was he ready for something like this? Even if it wasn't an actual meeting, being introduced to Antonio's parents still meant ... something. And what if -

But could he really say no, when it was for Antonio?

He sighed, closing his eyes and running a hand over his face. "Where should I meet you?"

* * *

In the end, he chose to have one of the Kuroko drive him. He usually preferred to take his horse when he went somewhere, but he decided it wouldn't be proper in this case. For all that Antonio insisted it wasn't a formal meeting, he still wanted to give a good impression.

He hoped using a driver wouldn't make him look arrogant. Ji had been reluctant to get him a driver's license, and he'd never had a need for one to argue about it.

He managed to spot Antonio quickly as the car stopped. He was chatting away at the two men who'd come to pick him up earlier, a happy smile on his face. The man in red nodded along to everything he said, interrupting now and again, while the man in black seemed to just be watching the two of them talk.

Jayden was mildly impressed despite his nervousness; it was hard to interrupt Antonio once he went off on a tangent.

They noticed him immediately when he headed toward them. He stopped several feet away, bowing low. "Mr. DeSantos, Mr. Park," he greeted. "My name is Jayden Shiba. It's an honor to meet you both."

The two men were looking at each other when he straightened. Mr. DeSantos had a strange expression on his face, but Mr. Park didn't look amused. He bit the inside of his cheek and tried not to worry about what it meant.

Antonio shot him a look of fond exasperation.

He shrugged minutely in response, trying not to feel uncomfortable.

"Call me Rocky," Mr. DeSantos said at last, giving him a smile. "Mr. DeSantos makes me feel like a responsible adult."

"Which would never happen," Antonio said cheerfully.

Mr. DeSantos gave him a mock-glare, playfully reaching out to catch him in a headlock. "Take it back!"

"Never!"

Mr. Park sighed as they wrestled, turning to nod politely to Jayden the same way he had earlier when they'd left Shiba House with Antonio. "You get used to them, unfortunately. You can call me Adam."

He nodded back, wondering what he should say. His eyes flickered to Antonio, hoping for assistance, but the wrestling had already degraded into a tickle fight. He tried not to sigh.

So he blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "How's Bridge doing?"

Mr. Park looked startled. "What?"

"Antonio mentioned that he's been getting a lot bigger since he was finally let out of NICU." He bit the inside of his cheek again. Should he not have asked?

"Oh." Mr. Park shook his head slightly. "Yeah ... He, uh ... He's doing a lot better. Playing more, getting more aware." The corner of his mouth twitched. "He's trying to sit up now."

"That's great." He hoped it was. What did he know about babies?

Mr. Park gave him a tight smile. "Yeah, it is."

_Antonio, save me_.

"So! Coffee shop?" Mr. DeSantos suggested abruptly. He and Antonio seemed to have finally finished their fight; both of them had rumbled clothing, and Antonio's hair stuck out in odd directions.

Jayden tried not to cringe at the thought of food.

Antonio made a face. "Papa, I just told you - "

"You two can order drinks," Mr. DeSantos interrupted him, rolling his eyes. "But I'm hungry, so let's get going."

Antonio moved to walk beside him, the two of them trailing after Mr. DeSantos and Mr. Park as they headed down the street. "Relax," he whispered.

Jayden gave him a dirty look.

"I mean it. Stop worrying so much. You're doing fine," Antonio insisted.

"I have no idea what I'm doing," he hissed back.

"Trust me, if you're about to do something stupid, I'll tell you. I've got your back, Jay. I promise."

He sighed, biting his cheek again in lieu of being able to rub his forehead. _Trust Antonio_, he told himself. _You know you can do that much._

"You kids plotting our demise back there?" Mr. DeSantos called over his shoulder.

"We plead the fifth!" Antonio shot back.

Mr. Park turned to glance back at them, looking amused. "I'll give Kim a call then,"

"Doesn't count," Antonio retorted. "Diplomacy isn't the same thing as law."

"That depends on the situation actually," Jayden spoke up without thinking. "A diplomat is required by the nature of their duties to have legal knowledge. They can't enforce laws, but they can offer legal counsel as long as it's not official."

There was a long silence, and he tried not to groan. _Shiba Heir Syndrome strikes again. Why can't I ever keep my mouth __***shut***__?_

"I'll go for that," Mr. DeSantos said brightly. "Give her a call, Adam. And have her bring Zack and Will along while she's at it, so we can have them arrested after we've proven their conspiracy."

Antonio gave him another exasperated look. "Jayden, you're not supposed to give ideas to the enemy. You're on my side here, remember?"

Jayden frowned. "I'm always on your side."

There was an odd noise from somewhere in front of them, but no one else seemed to have heard it when he looked around for the source.

The coffee shop turned out to be more crowded than he'd expected it would be. His eyes flickered around the room automatically, checking exits, making a headcount, and verifying that there were no Nighlok in the building. Antonio pressed lightly against his shoulder, and he relaxed a little.

They reached the counter faster than he'd expected, and he knew the moment the barista realized who he was, because her eyes widened.

"Hi!" Antonio greeted brightly, catching her attention before she could say anything. "I'd like - "

"No caffeine," Jayden interrupted. He'd learned ***that*** lesson a long time ago.

Antonio shot him a pouty look, one that clearly complained that he should at least be allowed caffeine if he was rescuing Jayden from another Shiba family fanatic. Jayden stared back, unmoved, and he let out a great sigh. "I'll have a large cherry smoothie. And you're not having tea," he added, giving Jayden a warning look of his own.

Jayden rolled his eyes. "I'd like a medium caramel macchiato, please."

"Make it a large," Antonio corrected, ignoring the glare he gave him. "What do you guys want?" he asked, looking at his parents.

Mr. DeSantos was looking over at something in corner, but Mr. Park stepped forward to order for both of them, shaking his head.

Jayden frowned to himself. Had they been too informal? Antonio never said anything about what sort of manners his parents found acceptable in public; it wasn't as if he particularly cared what other people thought of him

He shook himself as he saw Mr. Park reaching for his wallet. "Charge it to the Shiba account, please," he told the girl.

Antonio gave him a weird look. "Since when do you drink enough coffee to have an account here?"

"I don't. Mike does." he reminded him, even though it wasn't ***specifically*** true.

Technically, the Shiba account extended to anywhere in Panorama City and most of the island it rested on. Everyone in the area knew and recognized the Shiba family, and as such, billed their accounts when asked. Only members of the Shiba family or their retainers dared to use it. He'd made a point of mentioning it to all of the Samurai Rangers when they'd been recruited; Mike was just the only one willing to take advantage of it most of the time.

"That's really not necessary, Jayden," Mr. Park tried to protest.

He shook his head again. "It's nothing, Sir. I insist."

Mr. Park frowned at him, and he ducked his head, turning to wait at the other end of the counter for his order.

"So how did you two become friends?" Mr. DeSantos asked once they'd all gotten their drinks and Mr. DeSantos' cake and escaped the crowded store. "I mean, Antonio told us how you met at the market," he added, "But how'd you get to be friends?"

Jayden hesitated slightly, shrugging a little. He didn't particularly want to talk about it, but he supposed it was a fair question. "Well, we met a few months after I lost my family." He kept his eyes focused on his drink as he spoke, not wanting to see the face everyone gave him when he admitted to being an orphan. "It's sort of hard to explain, but ... We'd agreed to play together the day after we met." Ji had set it up with Antonio's father; he'd been getting concerned about how withdrawn Jayden had become over the last few months, and Antonio had been the first person to get his full attention outside of training in weeks. "But there was a huge storm that night and into the next day. Ji said we'd have to get together another time and sent me off to train.

"And then I heard a knock at the front door." A faint smile flickered across his face at the memory of the soaking wet, muddy boy he'd found outside. "Antonio snuck out and came over, even with the weather as bad as it was. And when I asked him why, all he said was - "

" - I promised," Antonio finished.

They smiled at each other.

"He's never broken a promise to me since," Jayden continued. He shrugged a shoulder, playing with his straw. _I can't say that for anyone else._ But he kept the thought to himself.

"Hey, you're the one who was nice enough to play with the fish boy," Antonio teased, bumping shoulders with him again. He leaned over and stole a sip from Jayden's macchiato, ignoring the glare he got for it.

Jayden retaliated by stealing a drink of his smoothie. "And I've been stuck with you ever since," he retorted.

Antonio grinned at him, his eyes sparkling with the words he didn't say aloud. "Yup. And you always will be."

* * *

Jayden let out a long sigh of relief once they'd finally waved Mr. DeSantos and Mr. Park off for the night. "Well, that was a disaster."

Antonio gave him a funny look. "What are you talking about? They loved you."

He snorted. "Mr. DeSantos kept making weird faces. Mr. Park hadly spoke to me and spent most of the time looking like he had somewhere else to be. I think it's safe to say they don't like me."

Antonio stopped walking to stare at him. For a long moment, he just looked at Jayden with the strangest expression on his face, until he finally he shook his head. "It doesn't matter anyway."

Jayden frowned at him. "Of course it matters. They're your parents."

Antonio took a moment to drain the last of his smoothie before finally tossing it into a nearby trash can. "Yup. But they'll have to get used to you anyway." He glanced over, flashing Jayden a smile. "I promised you first."

Jayden flushed slightly, staring down at his drink for a moment. He smiled when he looked up again, meeting the warm look in Antonio's eyes. "You did."

_And you always keep your promises._


	14. A Promise for Truth

**Author's Notes/:** Now we see the beginning of where my version of Samurai will deviate from canon, as this happens just after The Master Returns. In the Bright Skies universe, aliens were officially introduced to Earth society in May of 2010 - just under a year before Samurai starts. It's still a new enough development for there to be some prejudice. I'm still working on the official Bright Skies Timeline (because MMPR IS A PAIN IN THE ASS), but it will be posted on my website when it's done for anyone who wants to take a look.

* * *

They eventually moved Jayden to his room. Mia and Emily hovered with water and bandages while Ji fixed what he could. Kevin and Mike showed their concern by lingering nearby and running errands whenever someone asked for something.

The pain didn't bother him, not really. He was more troubled by the worry on his team's faces; the genuine concern for him he saw in their eyes. The burns were nothing compared to the feeling of knowing that he failed.

_***She***__ wouldn't have failed_, he thought dully.

There was a noise just outside the door, where Antonio slouched against the wall by the door frame. He sat down when the others carried Jayden to bed and hadn't moved since, lurking in the hall like a silent sentinel. Mia had tried to talk to him once, but he only looked at her before staring at the floor again.

Jayden wasn't sure why, but he had the strangest feeling that Antonio was mad at him.

The thought lingered long after Ji finished and the others finally left to let him sleep. Antonio remained outside the door, which made him smile. But the thought that Antonio was angry stayed with him as he fell asleep.

* * *

It was dark outside by the time he woke up. A quick assessment told him that his wounds were mostly healed, but his skin was still tender. He stared at the ceiling for a moment, wondering if he cared enough to check the time.

"Jayden." Antonio's voice was soft in the darkness. "We need to talk."

The request didn't surprise him; he'd known Antonio was beside the bed before he'd opened his eyes. "Outside?" he suggested, because his body had already healed enough to make him restless.

The walk to the practice yard was silent. Antonio wasn't scowling exactly, but he frowned at the ground as they walked. It wasn't an expression he usually wore, and it was making Jayden anxious.

Antonio pulled out his Samurai Morpher and threw up the symbol for _barrier_, followed by _silence_. He shrugged a shoulder when Jayden glanced at him and tucked his morpher in his pocket. "This isn't something I want anyone overhearing," he said simply.

Jayden frowned. "What about the team?"

Antonio shook his head. "Someday. Maybe. But you're the one I need to talk to right now."

He was still oddly serious, and it worried him. "What's wrong?" he asked in concern.

Antonio's eyes flickered to him. He seemed to be considering his answer. "I promised I would tell you everything someday," he said at last.

Jayden stared at him in surprise.

And then he hesitated. Antonio was usually happy to share things with him - stories, jokes, something he'd noticed, even fish - but he didn't look happy now. He looked ... solemn. "You don't have to tell me if you're not ready."

Antonio closed his eyes and let out a long, slow sigh. "I wrote you once, with a story about visiting my mother's country. Do you remember?"

Jayden nodded, a faint smile touching his lips. It had been one of his favorites; filled with warm, welcoming people, celebrating an equally bright and cheerful festival. "I remember."

"It wasn't a country. It was a planet."

Jayden blinked.

There was a long pause as Antonio stared off into the distance. "A few months - well, almost a year after Papa adopted me, I met the Astro Rangers. They saw ***something*** in me ... I'm still not really sure what. But they knew I was Kerovian. We found out my mother was a refugee from what they called The Great War. She ended up on Earth with my father, I guess. No one really knows what happened, and it's not like we can ask ... " He trailed off with another sigh and shook his head like he was clearing his thoughts. "Dad thought I deserved the chance to know my heritage, so the Astro Rangers took him, Papa, and I to KO-35 for the Festival of Life." A fond, almost dreamy smile came across his face. "It was ... the most incredible thing I've ever seen. And I learned so much about my mother's people - ***my*** people. It almost felt like home."

"Why didn't you stay then?"

"Because it wasn't right. It was ***almost*** home, not home."

He fell silent again, and Jayden watched as Antonio seemed to wrestle with something internally. "Why are you telling me this?" He frowned as something occurred to him, and wasn't sure if he felt hurt or offended. "You didn't think it would matter that you're half-Kerovian, did you?"

Antonio let out another long sigh, reaching up to rub his face for a moment. "What do you know about Kerovians, Jay?" he asked softly.

Jayden blinked again, tilting his head a little in confusion. "Well, not much. It's not like the Astro Rangers gave interviews about their species. Your species," he added with a teasing smile, so Antonio would know he really wasn't bothered by the idea that his friend was half-alien. With everything they dealt with as Rangers, how could he be?

Antonio's eyes closed. He looked like he was about to cry.

Jayden took a step towards him with a concerned frown. "Antonio ... ?"

"We're still human, like Earthlings. But there's something ... different, in our mental development. It gives us limited telepathy and telekinesis. Some psychic ability." Antonio turned, looking at him with an utterly serious expression.

It took several moments to process. "You ... you're a telepath?" he repeated. It didn't make any sense. What did that have to do with -

And then he froze.

"I can't read everything. It only works with people I'm really close to." Antonio was speaking quickly now, the words almost rushing out of him, and his eyes had gone from solemn to increasingly anxious. "I don't go into your head - I wouldn't do that to you. I won't ever violate your privacy like that, I swear. But when you think sometimes ... you think really loudly. I try not to listen, but I can't always help it. I try to distract myself, or be somewhere else, or - or bring you out of it, but - "

"You're a telepath," he murmured again. He felt numb. "You ... "

There was another sigh, and he knew without looking that Antonio was back to looking solemn again. "Yes. I know, Jayden. I know what you and Ji have been hiding. I know why, and I get it, I do. I don't like it, but I respect it. I won't tell anyone. But I promised you that I'd tell you everything someday."

Something about that statement snapped him out of the cold, distant feeling that had settled over him. "Someday," he repeated, looking up at last to meet Antonio's eyes. "Why is today 'someday'?"

For a long moment, they just stared at one another. Antonio's jaw clenched a little, and Jayden's eyes narrowed. "Why today, Antonio?"

"Because I heard you." Antonio's eyes bored into his, and now he could see that he'd been wrong. Antonio wasn't angry - he was ***furious***. For a moment, Jayden he could even swear that he was almost ... flickering. "You were going to sacrifice yourself to stop Master Xandred today. Because you were thinking it didn't matter if you didn't survive, because ***she*** could take your place. Because you think it wouldn't matter if we lost you!"

"It - "

"Don't you *dare* finish that sentence!" Antonio lunged at him, grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him hard. "I don't care about the plan! I don't care about her, or the sealing symbol, or any of it!"

He tried to push him away, to reprimand him for saying such things, but Antonio's hands were tight. "Antonio - "

"There may be seventeen Red Rangers on this planet right now, but there is only _one_ Jayden Shiba!"

Jayden stilled.

They were nearly nose to nose now. Antonio's hands still gripped his shoulders, and there were tears in his eyes. "I don't care about everyone else," he repeated quietly. "There's only one of you, and you're the one I don't want to lose. Don't ever try to say that you're expendable again."

Jayden flinched. "Antonio ... "

"I didn't tell you sooner because I was afraid of how you'd react once you knew I could read your mind. I was afraid that you'd be angry. But after today, I - " He shuddered, and Jayden found himself pulled into a tight hug.

Hesitantly, he raised his arms to hug him back. "I'm sorry," he mumbled against Antonio's shoulder.

"Don't do it again, Jay. Please."

He swallowed, feeling horrible. "I can't promise that."

Antonio squeezed him tighter, and there was a sigh against his ear. He tried not to shiver at the feeling. "Sorry. I know better than to ask something like that," Antonio muttered. "Just ... promise me that you'll look for another way first?" he pleaded softly.

Jayden closed his eyes. "I ... I'll try. I promise."

They stayed that way for a while, holding on to each other. Antonio seemed to need it, and Jayden was too comfortable to move. He wasn't entirely sure he was okay with knowing that Antonio could hear what he was thinking - when he thought 'loudly', and he wasn't quite sure what that meant - but he could learn to deal with it.

Eventually Jayden's eyes closed, and he tightened his arms around Antonio. He had questions - dozens of them - about what Antonio could do, what KO-35 was like. But none of it seemed to matter at the moment.

Later. He'd ask his questions later.


	15. A Promise for Answers

**Author's Notes/:** This chapter contains mentions of a few Rangers with extrasensory abilities. There are more, but not all of them were mentioned since it has to do with their relationship/connection to Antonio here. I spent far more time debating who had what than I probably should have.

Takes place the morning after the last chapter. Lots of unapologetic fluff and snuggling. Because I wanted cuddles.

* * *

The bed was comfortable, if a little colder than it should be. He knew without opening his eyes that Antonio had stolen all of the blankets again, leaving him with a single sheet and an arm draped possessively over his waist. It was the same way he'd awoken every time they shared a bed, even when they were children.

There was something decidedly comforting about that.

He opened his eyes to find Antonio's face inches from his own, eyes closed and expression peaceful. It only took two minutes for him to realize that Antonio wasn't asleep. Amused, he spent another eight minutes staring at him just because he could.

A hand reached out to cover his eyes.

He laughed softly, shoulders shaking as he tried to reign in the sound. No matter how much time went by, no matter how many times he'd woken up exactly like this, in exactly the same way, Antonio always found new ways to surprise him.

The hand slipped away after a few moments, revealing Antonio watching him with a mix of fondness and exasperation. Despite his earlier ploy, his eyes were alert. "Don't you know it's rude to stare at people while they're sleeping?"

"You weren't asleep," he countered.

"I could have been."

"You're always up at this time."

"Maybe I was trying to sleep in."

"You never sleep in."

Antonio huffed, glaring and pouting at him at the same time. "Are you going to argue with me like this all day?" he demanded, but his eyes were sparkling.

Jayden smiled slightly. "Maybe."

Antonio rolled his eyes. "Why do I put up with you?" he groaned dramatically, flopping back on the bed in a wide sprawl.

_Because you love me_, he wanted to say, but he didn't. _Because I love you._

There was a pause, and his eyes narrowed as he sat up on one elbow to regard Antonio suspiciously. "Did you ... ?"

Antonio shifted, avoiding his eyes.

He frowned. "Is that what you meant when you said I think loudly?"

Antonio let out a long sigh. "I guess it's time for me to answer those questions you have, huh?"

Something about his reaction stung, and Jayden shook his head, sitting up and moving to get up. "You don't have to."

His progress was halted by Antonio throwing himself across his lap, pinning him to the bed. "***You***, Mr. Invalid, have not been given permission to be out of bed yet. Lay back down."

"Antonio, I'm - "

"_Lay_. _Down_."

He reclined back against the pillows with a sigh, annoyed. "Better?" he asked, glaring mildly down at where Antonio was still sprawled across his stomach.

"Mm. Much." Antonio took a moment to stretch, sitting up briefly before returning to his original place on his own pillow. He spent another few minutes adjusting himself, rolling over to face Jayden, hooking an ankle around Jayden's calf, and placing a fist under his chin with a contemplative look. "This is kind of hard to explain, since I don't really understand my abilities myself, but I'll do my best."

"You - "

A finger settled over his lips. "Shh. I'm thinking."

He rolled his eyes.

"So, most Kerovians are telepathic and telekinetic. A few are psychic, or at least psychically sensitive, but it's really rare. Uncle Zhane's psychic," he added absently, and Jayden found himself trying to remember which uncle Zhane was. Something do to with the aunt who was a doctor, Ashley? "Since I'm only half Kerovian, it means that I was born with the potential for any of them, but since I never really received much formal training when I was young, they're not very developed."

He frowned, trying to follow. "So you have all three, but you can't use them all?"

Antonio made a face. "Kind of. My telepathy's pretty limited: most of the time I can only hear people I'm really close to, or people who let me. There are a few people who are ***really*** psychically sensitive, and sometimes I kind catch things from them, sometimes I don't. I can project my thoughts to exactly five people that I know of. So far. It's a lot harder than just overhearing someone." he confessed.

"And you overhear people who think loudly?"

He raised a hand, wiggling his fingers in a 'sort of' gesture. "It's more that I hear when they're thinking about something really hard, or when they're thinking ***at*** me. With you, I hear things you don't say out loud." He hesitated, their eyes meeting briefly. :: _Like how you feel, about me and about the others. When you're frustrated with something, but you don't want to say so. About Lauren._ ::

Jayden froze. The words were the softest whisper, as if Antonio had been talking in his ear. But his lips never moved. "You - " He swallowed. There was an odd, tight feeling in his chest he couldn't define. "I can hear you," he whispered.

A smile flickered across Antonio's face. "That makes six."

It took him a moment to realize what Antonio meant. "Six," he repeated. "Me, and ... ?"

"Papa, my older brother, Uncle Zhane, Uncle Andros, and Aunt Karone."

The tight feeling persisted. " ... Not your dad?"

Antonio snorted, looking amused. "Dad's psychically deaf. Mom and Zack aren't as bad as he is, but Papa's the only one that's sensitive."

"What about your brother?"

He shrugged a shoulder. "I'm not really sure about Justin. He's not a full telepath ... I think. But he can talk to Storm Blaster and Lightning Cruiser, and sometimes Papa when they're morphed."

Jayden blinked, momentarily thrown. "Storm Blaster and Lightning Cruiser?" he echoed.

Antonio waved a hand again. "Long story. Basically, he can really only talk to the three of them, and me. We don't do it very often though, 'cause he makes my head hurt." He made another face.

He shook his head, feeling a bit overwhelmed. "So why the other three? And why not anyone else on the team?"

Antonio shrugged again. "Well, with Uncle Zhane and Uncle Andros and Aunt Karone, it's because they were my teachers," he explained. "We had to get to know each other well enough so we could establish a connection for them to teach me. Uncle Zhane said on KO-35 children usually learn from their parents, but." Jayden felt a flare of guilt, but Antonio was already moving on. "With the team, I guess we just don't know each other well enough yet. I'm not sure." He looked slightly disappointed. "I don't think any of them are psychically deaf, but I don't know. Kevin might be."

"He's not," Jayden corrected without thinking about it. Antonio gave him a funny look, and now he was the one to shrug a little. "All Samurai Rangers have some sort of psychic sensitivity that allows us to use our Powers and fight the Nighlock. It's in our bloodline."

"Huh." Antonio seemed to consider that for a moment.

Jayden watched him. "So what about telekinesis?"

Antonio blinked, startled, and flushed slightly. "Oh. I, uh. I'm not ... very good at it," he muttered.

Jayden raised an eyebrow.

Antonio sighed. "It's ... it takes a lot of focus. And patience."

He frowned. "But so does symbol power."

Another slight shrug. "I guess I was just more determined to master symbol power than I was telekinesis."

For some reason, that made Jayden smile. Antonio's eyes flickered back toward him, and he smiled in response. After a moment he pulled his hand out from under his pillow, entwining his fingers with Jayden's. "Any other questions? I did promise to tell you everything, after all."

He squeezed Antonio's hand slightly, considering. "Tell me about KO-35."

Antonio's face lit up. "It's beautiful," he said immediately, launching into descriptions of green fields, tall trees, and beautiful cities with buildings of shimmering silver. He talked about all the different ways to travel, from hovercrafts to spaceships, and even learning to fly on his uncle's Galaxy Glider. The people, warm and friendly even as they continue to recover from years of war and suppression, treating the visiting Rangers and their friends as heroes and family. The many festivals he'd been part of as he learned about his heritage, and all the strange in and outs of Kerovian culture that fascinated him.

Through it all Jayden lay quietly listening, watching Antonio through half-lidded eyes. He knew he should be fighting to get up, to start his training for the day, check on the team and let them know he'd recovered. But really, all he wanted to do was stay right where he was and listen to more of Antonio's stories.

"It sounds amazing," he said softly, when Antonio seemed to be finally winding down again.

Antonio looked up from where he'd been staring off into the distance, no doubt picturing all the beautiful things he'd been describing. He smiled, slow and warm as he gave Jayden's hand another squeeze. "We'll see it together someday," he assured him. Then he leaned forward, gently pressing his forehead against Jayden's.

Jayden closed his eyes with a smile, already knowing what he was about to say.

"I promise."


	16. A Promise to Love You

**Author's Notes/:** And so it ends.

There will, of course be a sequel as soon as I finish deciding exactly how I want to write my ending to Samurai. But this is the end of Promises, as all of the promises Antonio has made to Jayden are fulfilled.

Jayden is more than slightly OOC here, as this is my take on how he would have handled Lauren's arrival in this 'verse. This starts at the scene from The Great Duel where Antonio finds Jayden on the pier, but with an entirely different conversation. Many thanks to all of you who have followed, given kudos, favorited, and reviewed this story, and I hope you enjoy the ending. See you in the sequel!

* * *

He sensed him before he saw him. He knew the Rangers were upset, and that Lauren and Ji were probably disappointed, even if they did understand. He didn't blame any of them, and he wouldn't be surprised if the team was angry that he'd been keeping secrets after everything they'd been through together. Antonio was likely to be upset with him for entirely different reasons, and he didn't blame him for any of that either.

He thought he should be angry somehow, or hurt, or just as upset as the others - the Rangers, were. It was what he'd expected he would be when this day finally came. He had no purpose now, no goal, no destiny. He should be trying to figure out who he was supposed to be without the Red Ranger.

But Antonio was here, and all he wanted to do was smile.

"I've been looking everywhere for you."

He shrugged a shoulder, biting the inside of his cheek to reign in his emotions before he started laughing and scared Antonio into thinking he was mentally unstable. "I took a walk through the city. Figured I'd give you time to cool down a little before you came after me."

There was a long silence as Antonio came to lean against the railing beside him. "I'm angry at you," he said matter-of-factly.

Jayden nodded. "I thought you would be."

Antonio twitched a little. "Why didn't you tell me you were planning to leave?" he demanded abruptly, turning to glare at him. "I know why you kept her a secret, and I still don't like it, but I get that. But why didn't you tell me that her being here meant you would leave?"

It was a fair question, and he sighed quietly as he continued to stare out at the water. "Because I don't have to leave. And I knew if you knew that, you'd try to convince me to stay."

"Of course I - we - want you to stay!" Antonio burst out furiously. There was an odd flicker of light around him. "Why would you leave us if you didn't have to?!"

"Because I ***want*** to, Antonio. Because ... because I need to," he admitted quietly.

"You don't need to," Antonio snapped. "The only thing you need to do is ***stay***, because ***we*** need you!"

He shook his head. "Lauren is the leader now. You'll still have a strong team to fight the Nighlock. And - " He broke off, blinking hard for a moment "Please don't ask me to stay," he whispered. "I can't ... I can't do it again."

" ... Again?"

The memories surged, faster than he could stop them.

_- Aunt Anabelle's eyes remained closed, just like she was sleeping. But her skin was pale and cold. The Rangers had tried, but they were too late._

_He stared at her, trying to keep in his own tears as a howl of grief echoed from down the hall. Lauren sniffled behind him, and he turned to bury his face in her shoulder as she wrapped her arms around him. -_

_- His father was crying._

_Uncle Victor and Uncle Devon carried him between them. Aunt Kyoko was making soothing noises, trying to press a wet cloth to the blood covering his stomach. Aunt Hannah threw blankets off the closest infirmary bed, even though it hadn't been cleaned yet, stripping it down to a single sheet. "Bring him here!"_

_"Out of the way, Jayden!" Ji snapped at him, hurrying into the room with an armfull of medical supplies. -_

_- He held his mother's hand tightly, staring at her face as she wheezed weakly for breath. Maybe if he watched ... maybe ... maybe he could keep her alive. If he wished hard enough, kept watching over her like Daddy had asked him to, maybe he could keep her alive long enough for the Rangers finally defeat the Nighlock. _

_"Please don't die, Mommy," he whispered. -_

_- He stayed in the closet like they'd told him to, curled back in the corner behind daddy's clothes as far as he could. He kept his hands pressed tightly over his ears the way Ji told him to, the way Lauren used to do for him before they took her away. But he could still hear the screams outside, still hear weapons being fired and swords clashing._

_"Please don't die," he pleaded silently, mouthing the words because Ji had told him to stay quiet. "Please don't die. Please don't die." -_

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm ***so*** sorry - "

The words were a litany in his ear, and it took him a moment to come back to himself. Antonio's arms were around him, holding tight, and his voice was full of tears as he pleaded. "I'm sorry, I didn't think, I ***never*** think, I'm ***so*** sorry - "

"It's okay," he forced out. "Antonio, it's okay. I know you didn't - you didn't know."

Neither of them moved for several minutes. Jayden bit the inside of his cheek hard enough to draw blood as he fought to regain his composure. Antonio remained wrapped around him, sniffling slightly.

"Sorry," he managed finally, throat hoarse. "I didn't mean for you to see any of that."

Antonio shook his head rapidly, squeezing him again. "It's not your fault. I should have thought more about why you wouldn't want to stay. I should of ... " he trailed off, swallowing audibly, and subtly nuzzled Jayden's cheek.

The gesture reminded him abruptly of why he'd been waiting here, and he shook his head, too. "It's fine," he said firmly, stepping back to smile at Antonio. "No more apologies. This is supposed to be a happy day."

Antonio stared at him blankly. " ... Happy?" he repeated dubiously.

Jayden laughed, shaking his head again.. "Yes. Happy. Today is a wonderful day."

Antonio was starting to look wary now. "Wonderful."

"Yes. I'm no longer needed as the Red Ranger." He smiled, letting the feeling those words brought sweep over him.

Antonio was still staring, and he laughed again at his confusion. He was usually quicker than this. "Antonio." He gave him a pointed look. "I'm _no longer needed _as Red Ranger."

There was another moment, and he could tell when it finally clicked because Antonio's eyes went incredibly wide. "You mean - "

He nodded, breaking into a grin and reaching for Antonio's hand. "If I remember right," he said thoughtfully, "Didn't you say once that people on KO-35 get married by making promises?"

Antonio visibly swallowed. His eyes were nervous, and his grip tightened on Jayden's hand. "They do." It was barely a whisper.

"You've made so many promises to me ... " He trailed off, frowning a little. _What can I possibly promise __***you***__?_

"Jayden."

He looked up to find Antonio staring at him, his eyes sparkling with solemn joy. "I promise to give you my loyalty and support. I promise to keep your secrets, to understand the things you don't say, to grieve with you, to always be honest with you. I promise to give you the impossible, every day, for the rest of our lives." He paused, making sure Jayden was watching, and slowly and deliberately lifted their clasped hands to kiss Jayden's.

Jayden blinked once, hard. "Antonio, I ... "

He took a deep breath. "I promise to give you my loyalty and my support. I promise to put you before anything else in my life. I promise to never keep anything from you again. I promise - " He faltered slightly, and Antonio gave his hand another squeeze. "I promise to have faith in you, in what you can do, and to never doubt you. I promise to build a life together, and ... " He swallowed, pushing back the lingering instinctive surge of fear. "I promise to love you. Forever."

Antonio's eyes shone with warmth. "I promise to love you," he echoed softly. "Forever."

It was the simplest thing in the world to kiss him then.

There were a lot of things still unresolved. The Nighlock had yet to be defeated. There were the Rangers and their families to tell, and Jayden still wasn't sure how Ji and Lauren would react. Antonio would have to return to the team to help them fight, and Jayden would have to find a place to hide until it was all over.

But for now, in this moment, they were together, and everything was perfect.


End file.
